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3  1210  01981  1288 


MEMOIRS  OF  MARSHAL  OUDINOT 


i\'\AI-\SHAL    OuDTNOT 
DUC  DE  REC-GIO 


MEMOIRS  OF  MARSHAL  OUDINOT 
/  DUG  DE  REGGIO 

COMPILED  FROM  THE  HITHERTO  UNPUBLISHED 

SOUVENIRS  OF  THE  DUCHESSE  DE  REGGIO 

BY  GASTON  STIEGLER,  AND  NOW  FIRST 

TRANSLATED  INTO  ENGLISH   BY 

ALEXANDER  TEIXEIRA 

DE   MATTOS 


^VITH   TIVO   PORTRAITS 
IN  HELlOGRAyURE 


NEW     YORK 
D.     APPLETON    AND    COMPANY 

1897 


Authorized  Edition. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

CHAPTER    I I 

Oudinot's  family— His  birth— His  impetuous  character— His  military  vocation 
—His  first  feat  of  arms— He  suppresses  a  riot— His  ascendancy  over  his  fellow- 
citizens— Appointed  commandant  of  the  3rd  Battalion  of  the  Volunteers  of  the 
Meuse— War  on  the  Rhine  frontier— His  first  successes— Colonel  at  twenty-six 
— His  men's  affection  for  him — He  stops  the  emigration  of  officers  of  noble 
birth — Success  and  wounds  at  Haguenau — General  after  the  affair  at  Kaiser- 
slautern — Leg  broken  at  the  siege  of  Treves— Receives  five  wounds  at  Neckerau 
— Charges  at  Ettenheim  with  his  arm  in  a  sling— The  Swiss  campaign— He  is 
made  a  general  of  division — Arrival  at  the  army  of  his  son  Victor,  aged  eight — 
Oudinot's  share  in  the  victory  of  Zurich— Spires  the  emigrants  at  Constance 
with  tact  and  generosity— Praise  from  Mass^na— Oudinot's  firmness  at  the  siege 
of  Genoa — Captures  a  gun  at  Monzembano — Enthusiasm  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Bar-le-Duc  for  their  distinguished  fellow-citizen— The  camp  at  Boulogne— His 
devoted  servant  Pils. 


CHAPTER  II     .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .31 

The  first  Austrian  campaign — Oudinot  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Grenadiers 
— Oudinot  at  Wertingen — His  success  at  Amstetten — He  participates  in  the 
capture  of  the  Thabor- Briicke— His  heroism  at  the  sanguinary  victory  of 
Hollabriinn — He  shows  himself  as  great  an  administrator  as  a  soldier,  and 
wins  the  affections  of  the  people  of  Neuchatel — Their  gratitude — He  receives  the 
freedom  of  Neuchatel — The  Prussian  and  Polish  campaigns — The  victory  of 
Ostrolenka — Oudinot  before  Dantzig — Fresh  victories  over  the  Russians — His 
tenacity  and  his  services  at  Friedland — He  falls  from  his  horse  at  Dantzig— He 
meets  Mile,  de  Coucy— The  Coucy  family — Its  adventures  during  the  Revolu- 
tion— Robespierre  the  Younger — The  Chanoinesse  de  Coucy — Life  at  Vitry-le- 
Frangois  at  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century — M.  Leclerc,  Prefect  of  the  IMeuse 
— The  Princesse  Borghese's  bath— Visit  to  Bar-le-Duc— Mile,  de  Coucy  is  con- 
stantly attracted  by  the  name  of  Oudinot— The  Comtesse  Oudinot— General 
Oudinot's  purchase  of  the  estate  of  Jeand'heurs. 


vi  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  III 74 

The  Congress  of  Erfurt — Oudinot  Governor  of  Errurt — The  Czar  Alexander — 
The  Grand-Duke  Constantine  and  the  King  of  Wurtemberg — Constantine  and 
the  Grenadiers — Alexander's  apprehensions — Constantine's  plume — The  second 
Austrian  campaign  —  The  engagements  of  Pfaffenhofen,  Ried,  Ebersberg — 
Oudinot  occupies  Vienna  -  Oudinot  at  Essling — He  replaces  Lannes  in  command 
of  the  2nd  Corps — Oudinot  is  made  a  Marshal  and  Due  de  Reggio — A  compli- 
mentary letter  from  the  Czar — Oudinot's  mission  to  Holland — His  moderation 
and  humanity — His  success — Death  of  his  first  wife — The  Emperor's  divorce — 
Marie  Louise — Annexation  of  Holland — Marriage  negociations  between  the 
Due  de  Reggio  and  Mile,  de  Coucy — The  betrothal — The  marriage — The 
ceremony — Departure  for  Bar-le-Due— The  Marshal's  father — His  children. 

CHAPTER  IV    .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .117 

Preparations  of  war  against  Russia — Departure  of  the  Due  and  Duchesse  de 
Reggio  for  the  army — Arrival  at  Munster — The  Prineesse  d'Eckmiihl — The 
entry  into  Berlin — The  Comte  de  Narbonne — Review  of  the  French  troops  at 
Berlin — Oudinot's  courtesy  and  consideration  towards  the  King  of  Prussia — 
Increasing  certainty  of  war  —  Oudinot's  departure  for  Marienwerder — -The 
Djchesse's  return  to  Bar-Ie-Duc — The  crossing  of  the  Niemen — Oudinot  Com- 
mander-in-Chief of  the  2nd  Corps — Victorious  at  Deweltowo — His  operations  on 
the  Dwina  against  Wittgenstein — He  lures  him  into  an  awkward  position,  and 
defeats  him  oa  the  Drissa — Increasing  difficulties  of  the  situation — Oudinot 
seiiously  wounded  at  Polotsk — The  Duchesse  joins  him  in  Russia — Events  of 
this  long  journey — Augereau — First  symptoms  of  discontent — Arrival  at  Wilna 
^The  Due  de  Bassano — Oudinot  resumes  the  command — The  intense  cold— 
The  retreat — Devotion  of  M.  Abramowietz. 

CHAPTER  V .169 

Oudinot  manoeuvres  to  become  master  of  the  Beresina — Battle  of  Borizow — 
General  Corbineau  accidentally  discovers  the  ford  of  Studianka — Erection  of 
bridges — Oudinot's  active  measures  to  facilitate  the  crossing — He  is  grievously 
wounded — Details  of  the  retreat — Oudinot  is  nearly  captured  at  Pletchnitzy — 
His  energy  and  greatness  of  soul  under  this  circumstance — He  rejoins  the 
Duchesse  at  Wilna — The  Emperor  leaves  the  army — The  return — Cruel  suffer- 
ings— The  night  of  the  7th  of  December — All  the  food  is  frozen — Marshal 
Oudinot's  grief  at  hearing  of  the  loss  of  his  artillery — In  spite  of  the  evidences 
he  refuses  to  believe  in  the  destruction  of  the  army — General  Rapp  at  Daatzig 
— The  journey  across  Germany — Return  to  Bar-le-Duc. 

CHAPTER  VI    .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .214 

Journey  to  Paris — Illness  of  the  Duchesse  de  Reggio — The  Duchess  is  pre- 
sented at  Court — The  Emperor — Marie  Louise — Presentation  to  the  Empress 
Mother — The  Empress  Josephine — Queen  Hortense — Return  to  Bar-le-Duc — 
The  Chevalier  de  Boufflers — The  Campaign  of  1S13 — Oudinot's  important  share 


CONTENTS  vii 

PAGE 

in  the  Battle  of  Bautzen — He  is  placed  at  the  head  of  the  army  destined  to 
operate  against  Berlin — His  objection  to  this  movement,  wliich  he  considers 
impracticable — He  accepts  from  a  sense  of  duty — He  finds  it  impossible  to  con- 
centrate his  forces,  and  receives  a  check  at  Gross-Beeren — Part  played  by 
Oudinot  at  Dennewitz — His  energy  at  Leipzig — He  protects  the  retreat— He 
is  attacked  by  typhus — Brought  back  to  Bar  in  imminent  danger  of  death — 
The  first  preparations  for  the  French  campaign. 

CHAPTER  VII  .......    242 

The  French  campaign— Respect  shown  by  the  invaders  for  Oudinot's  estates— 
His  share  in  the  fighting  at  la  Rothiere— Departure  of  the  Duchesse  de 
Reggio — Victor  Oudinot  wounded  at  Craonne — Oudinot's  desperate  proposal 
to  rally  the  French  corps  spread  over  Germany — Departure  of  Marie  Louise — 
Capitulation  of  Paris — Queen  Hortense  at  Rambouillet — Incidents  on  the 
Duchesse  de  Reggio's  journey — The  abdication — Oudinot  recognizes  the  Bour- 
bons— He  is  made  a  Minister  of  State — Mme.  de  Stael  and  the  Comtesse  Waleska 
at  Josephine's — Visit  of  the  Czar  to  Oudinot — Portrait  of  the  Duchesse 
d'Angouleme — Oudinot  a  Peer  of  France — Oudinot  is  appointed  Commandant 
of  the  Royal  Grenadiers  and  Chasseurs — His  conciliatory  spirit — The  King 
waited  upon  by  the  mayors  at  the  Hotel-de-Ville — Portrait  of  the  Due  de  Berry^ 
Oudinot  at  Metz — The  Due  de  Berry  in  the  East— His  passage  through  Bar- 
le-Duc  and  fetes  given  in  his  honour  at  Oudinot's — M.  Jacqueminot's  accident 
— The  Reggios  return  to  Paris. 

CHAPTER  VIII 291 

The  return  from  Elba — Oudinot's  attitude — He  remains  faithful  to  Louis  XVIII., 
but  his  soldiers  desert  to  the  Emperor — He  receives  orders  to  keep  to  his  estate, 
but  is  afterwards  summoned  to  Paris — Exchange  of  letters  with  Marshal  Davout 
— Oudinot  refuses  to  serve  during  the  hundred  days — After  Waterloo,  he  is 
appointed  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  National  Guard — Return  of  Louis  XVIII. 
— Oudinot's  efforts  to  protect  the  army  against  the  Royalist  reaction — His  attempt 
to  save  Marshal  Ney — His  grief  on  learning  of  the  execution — The  Duchesse  de 
Reggio  is  made  Mistress  of  the  Robes  to  the  Duchesse  de  Berry — Her  departure 
to  meet  the  Princess — Portrait  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry — The  presentation — The 
return  journey. 

CHAPTER  IX    .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .329 

Interview  of  the  Due  and  Duchesse  de  Berry  in  the  Forest  of  Fontainebleau — 
The  ceremony  at  Notre  Dame — The  Duchesse  de  Berry's  new  existence — The 
Greffulhe  Ball — The  13th  of  February  1820 — Assassination  of  the  Duo  de  Berry 
— The  scene  at  the  Opera-house — The  Duke's  last  moments — The  circumstances 
of  the  crime — Details  about  Louvel — His  arrest — And  trial — The  Duchesse  de 
Berry  at  Saint-Cloud  and  at  the  Pavilion  Marsan — Her  confinement — Birth  of 
the  Comte  de  Chambord — The  witnesses — Death  of  Napoleon— The  Spanish 
War — Oudinot,  commanding  the  ist  Army  Corps,  makes  an  exclusively  political 
campaign — Journey  to  Dieppe — Illness  and  death  of  Louis  XVIII. 


vlii  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  X 372 

Visit  to  Jeand'heurs — Coronation  of  Charles  X. — An  epigram  of  M.  de  Corbieres 
— Impertinence  of  the  Austrian  Ambassador,  who  declines  to  give  Oudinot 
the  title  of  Due  de  Reggio — Unpopularity  of  the  Villele  Ministry — Review  of 
the  National  Guard — Manifestations  against  the  Government — The  National 
Guard  is  dissolved — The  Duchesse  de  Berry's  journey  in  the  South — The  Spanish 
Infant — Visit  to  the  Grande-Chartreuse — The  King  of  Naples — Symptoms  of 
hostility  to  Charles  X. — The  Royal  Guard  reviewed  by  Oudinot — Fete  at  the 
Palais-Royal  in  honour  of  the  Neapolitan  Court — The  King's  blindness  to  the 
facts  of  the  political  situation — Opinions  of  Marshal  Marmont — Fall  of  Charles 
X. — Letter  rom  the  Duchesse  de  Reggio  to  the  Duchesse  de  Berry — The  latter's 
reply — The  Polignac  trial — The  Oudinot  family  retire  to  Bar-le-Duc — Arrest  of 
the  Duchesse  de  Berrj- — Generous  offer  of  the  Duchesse  de  Reggio — Heroic 
death  of  Colonel  Auguste  Oudinot  in  Algeria — The  Marshal's  despair — Marriage 
of  Marshal  Oudinot's  daughter  with  the  Comte  de  Vesins — Oudinot's  illness  — 
Letter  from  Louis  Napoleon — Charles  Oudinot — Marriage  of  the  Marshal's 
second  daughter  with  INL  Joseph  Perron — Oudinot  appointed  Grand  Chancellor 
of  the  Legion  of  Honour — And  Governor  of  the  Invalides — Death  of  Oudinot. 

CHAPTER  XI 440 

Oudinot's  funeral — A  few  words  on  the  Duchesse  de  Reggio — Conclusion. 

APPENDIX 449 

INDEX 465 


CHAPTER  I 

Oudinot's  family — His  birth— His  impetuous  character — His  military  vocation 
— His  first  feat  of  arms— He  suppresses  a  riot— His  ascendancy  over  his 
fellow-citizens  —  Appointed  commandant  of  the  3rd  Battalion  of  the 
Volunteers  of  the  Meuse — War  on  the  Rhine  frontier— His  first  successes 
— Colonel  at  twenty-six — His  men's  affection  for  him — He  stops  the 
emigration  of  officers  of  noble  birth — Success  and  wounds  at  Haguenau 
— General  after  the  affair  at  Kaiserslautern — Leg  broken  at  the  siege  of 
Treves — Receives  five  wounds  at  Neckerau — Charges  at  Ettenheim 
with  his  arm  in  a  sling — The  Swiss  campaign — He  is  made  a  general  of 
division — Arrival  at  the  army  cf  his  son  Victor,  aged  eight — Oudinot's 
share  in  the  victory  of  Zurich— Spares  the  emigrants  at  Constance 
with  tact  and  generosity — Praise  from  Massena — Oudinot's  firmness 
at  the  siege  of  Genoa — Captures  a  gun  at  Monzembano — Enthusiasm  of 
the  inhabitants  of  Bar-le-Duc  for  their  distinguished  fellow-citizen — The 
camp  at  Boulogne — His  devoted  servant  Pils. 

Nicolas  Charles  Oudinot  sprang  from  the  country 
of  the  Meuse,  contiguous  to  Champagne  and  Lor- 
raine, which  the  proximity  of  the  foreigner  and  the 
constant  threat  of  invasion  keep  in  a  perpetual  fer- 
vour of  patriotism.  He  was  the  son  of  a  respectable 
brewer,  and  his  uncle  on  the  mother's  side  was  M. 
Adam,  Mayor  of  Bar-le-Duc,  his  native  town.  The 
house  in  which  he  was  born,  on  the  25th  of  April 
1767,  is  a  dwelling  of  gloomy  appearance,  situated  in 
the  lower  town,  which  contains  the  business  quarters. 
The  back  of  the  house  is  washed  by  a  canal  which 
supplies  the  adjacent  factories  ;  the  front  opens  upon 


2  MEMOIRS  OF 

the  foot  of  a  steep  slope  on  which  are  perched 
houses  which,  at  the  summit,  spread  out  and  form 
the  aristocratic  streets  of  the  upper  town.  Before 
the  door,  commences  a  tough  and  difficult  ascent, 
in  which  large  steps  have  been  cut :  this  is  known 
as  the  Road  of  the  Eighty  Stairs. 

Young  Charles's  childhood  was  boisterous  and 
undisciplined.  He  was  kind-hearted,  affectionate, 
and  sensible  (in  the  phrase  of  those  times)  ;  but 
even  then  he  displayed  signs  of  the  fiery  and  com- 
manding character  which  he  retained  through  life. 
His  iron  will,  which  gave  him  so  invaluable  a  power 
of  endurance  and  tenacity,  was  never  ready  to  accept 
opposition  or  contradiction. 

Later,  he  himself  used  to  relate,  in  his  familiar 
conversation,  a  comic  anecdote  showing  the  im- 
petuousness  of  his  nature.  I  repeat  it  in  the  words 
in  which  he  told  it ;  it  goes  back  to  the  spring 
of  1794.  Hebert,  the  substitute  of  the  Public  Pro- 
secutor of  the  Commune,  had  ascended  the  scaffold 
on  the  24th  of  March.  His  ideas  found  little  favour 
in  the  eyes  of  Oudinot,  who,  although  in  the  service 
of  the  Republic,  held  moderate  opinions. 

It  was  after  my  wound  at  Haguenau,  said  the  Marshal. 
I  returned  from  the  army  with  a  broken  head,  kept  together 
only  by  the  bandages,  which  almost  blinded  me.     I  was 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT.  3 

then  Colonel  of  the  4th  Demi-Brigade,  and  was  home  on 
sick-leave,  which  I  was  spending  with  my  father.  One  day 
there  sat  down  to  table  with  us  a  sort  of  relation.  He 
came  from  Paris,  where,  I  believe,  he  was  something  in 
business.  He  straightway  began  to  talk  politics.  I  did 
not  say  a  word,  but  ate  as  one  eats  when  he  has  been 
shattered.  Our  Parisian  went  on  exalting  the  revolu- 
tionary Commune,  and  telling  a  thousand  horrors,  until  he 
began  to  boast  of  preserving  as  a  relic  a  portion  of  Hebert's 
slipper.  I  continued  silent,  munching  the  bit  of  my  indig- 
nation, but  feeling  my  patience  growing  exhausted  little  by 
little.  At  last  they  put  upon  the  table  a  great  deep  dish 
full  of  steaming  haricot  beans.  It  was  as  though  I  had 
received  an  inspiration  :  I  put  out  my  hand,  took  up  the 
dish,  and  whoosh  !  sent  the  platterful  of  beans  flying  into 
the  face  of  the  friend  of  Hebert.  I  leave  you  to  imagine 
what  my  father,  most  hospitable  of  men,  must  have  thought ! 
As  for  the  Parisian,  he  got  up  and  went  out  to  wash  his 
face. 

This  warmth  of  temper  was  not  to  decrease  with 
advancing  years.  Eleven  years  later,  in  July  1805,  ^^ 
the  camp  at  Boulogne,  the  Emperor  was  reviewing 
the  Grenadiers,  commanded  by  Oudinot.  When  the 
mancEuvres  were  completed,  the  General  wished  to 
march  past  Napoleon  at  the  head  of  his  troops.  But 
his  charger  kicked  under  the  spur,  and  refused  to  go 
forward.      After   a   short   struggle,    Oudinot,    in    his 


4  MEMOIRS  OF 

exasperation,  pierced  its  neck  so  violently  with  his 
sword  that  the  restive  brute  fell  in  a  heap  to  the 
ground.  At  dinner  that  night,  at  the  Imperial 
table : 

"Is  that  the  way  you  treat  your  horses?"  asked 
Napoleon. 

"  Sire,  that  is  my  way  when  I  am  not  obeyed." 

A  nature  so  impetuous  was  incapable  of  enduring 
the  sedentary  existence  which  the  young  man's 
mother  would  have  wished  to  see  him  lead  by  her 
side,  a  desire  the  more  easily  understood  since 
Charles  was  the  last  survivor  of  her  many  children. 
He  was  intended  for  trade.  But  he  had  scarcely 
reached  his  seventeenth  year  when  his  irresistible 
call  came,  and  in  1784  he  enlisted  in  the  regiment 
of  Medoc-Infantry,  then  garrisoned  at  Perpignan. 
He  was  fond  of  describing  how  he  had  mounted  his 
first  guard  at  the  door  of  Marshal  de  Mailly.  But 
after  this  separation,  so  painful  to  those  who  loved 
him,  his  affectionate  deference  to  the  solicitations  of 
his  mother  brought  him  home  again. 

Oudinot  was  twenty  when,  for  a  time,  he  laid  aside 
his  uniform.  His  parents,  still  cherishing  their 
dream  of  honest  trade  for  him,  sent  him  to  Nancy  in 
the  hope  that  he  would  get  used  to  business.  But, 
unable  to  adapt  himself  to  unsympathetic  work,  he 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  5 

returned  to  Bar,  where  the  first  advent  of  the 
Revolution  soon  gave  him  an  opportunity  of  dis- 
tinguishing himself.  A  company  of  paid  troops, 
raised  in  that  town  in  1789,  placed  the  former 
private  in  the  Medoc  Regiment  at  its  head,  with 
the  rank  of  captain  (14  July),  and  the  new  officer 
proved  within  a  few  days,  by  his  decision  and 
energy,  how  worthy  he  was  of  the  choice. 

Long  privations,  caused  by  two  successive  bad 
harvests,  had  cruelly  harassed  the  population  of 
Bar  :  the  workshops  were  closed  for  want  of  work  ; 
there  was  a  lack  of  provisions  ;  food  was  hard  to 
obtain  at  any  price.  A  rich  corn  merchant  called 
Pelissier,  who  was  regarded  as  a  monopolist,  was 
held  responsible  for  all  the  evil,  and  soon  became 
the  object  of  popular  vengeance.  Crossing  the 
square  in  the  upper  town  amid  an  excited  and 
discontented  crowd,  he  was  suddenly  threatened, 
assailed,  and  dragged  off  by  a  thousand  arms. 
The  clamours  reached  Oudinot,  who  was  sitting 
quietly  in  his  father's  house  in  the  lower  town,  far 
removed  from  and  ignorant  of  the  fray.  In  a 
moment  he  was  in  the  saddle  ;  spurring  his  horse, 
and  at  the  risk  of  breaking  his  neck,  he  climbed  at 
a  gallop  the  Road  of  the  Eighty  Stairs  facing  his 
house  and  leading  to  the  upper  town,  where  there 


.6  MEMOIRS  OF 

was  a  danger  to  encounter  and  a  human  life  to  save. 
Although  taking  the  shortest  road,  he  came  too  late 
to  prevent  the  murder  of  Pelissier  ;  but  he  silenced 
the  ringleaders  by  the  firmness  of  his  attitude  and 
language,  and  appeased  the  crowd  ;  and  his  inter- 
vention, by  stopping  the  riot,  doubtless  prevented 
greater  misfortunes  (27  July). 

Two  months  later,  with  that  firm  confidence 
which  he  had  in  the  future.  Captain  Oudinot,  al- 
though scarcely  twenty-two  years  old,  not  rich,  and 
far  from  foreseeing  his  dazzling  future,  married  Mile. 
Charlotte  Derlin,  who,  possessed  of  no  fortune,  dis- 
played a  disinterestedness  equal  to  his  own,  gave 
him  twenty  years  of  happiness,  and  became  the 
mother  of  many  children.  We  shall  see  later  how 
the  sons  distinguished  themselves  in  their  father's 
career. 

Each  year  brought  Oudinot  a  fresh  mark  of  the 
growing  esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by  his  fellow- 
citizens.  On  the  6th  of  November  1 790,  he  was 
made  chef  de  Ugioii,  commanding  the  National  Guard 
of  the  department.  Later,  when  patriots  sprang 
from  every  side  to  respond  to  the  foreign  threats 
against  France,  it  was  to  him  again  that  eyes  were 
turned.  Elected  to  the  command  of  the  3rd  Bat- 
talion   of    the    Volunteers  of    the   Meuse    (6    Sep- 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  7 

tember  1791),  he  soon  won  the  affection  of  his 
men  by  his  respect  for  justice  and  his  kindly  rule. 
Living  in  their  midst,  teaching  them  by  his  example, 
he  succeeded  in  disciplining  their  courage,  in  ani- 
mating them  with  the  soldierly  spirit  with  which  he 
was  impregnated,  and  in  thoroughly  preparing  them 
for  the  gigantic  combats  that  were  to  follow. 

1792  !  The  hour  struck  when  the  fruits  of  this 
care  and  foresight  were  to  be  garnered.  The  old 
world  swooped  down  to  crush  the,^  world  that  was 
springing  into  existence  :  the  Prussians  and  Austrians, 
the  van-guard  and  delegates  of  the  rest  of  Europe, 
fell  upon  France  :  every  patriot  was  on  foot  to  resist 
them.  The  3rd  Battalion  of  the  Meuse  was  sent  to 
one  of  the  most  threatened  points,  the  North-East 
frontier.  Then  commenced  for  Oudinot  the  intoxi- 
cating and  terrible  life  that  he  adored,  a  life  of  ab- 
negation, of  cruel  anguish  and  of  exquisite  joys, 
wherein  he  spent  the  exuberance  of  his  activity. 
For  three  years  on  end,  winter  and  summer,  he 
waged  war  between  the  Moselle  and  the  Rhine,  in 
the  plains  of  Alsace  or  the  wild  region  of  the  Vosges, 
wherever  the  fight  was  thickest,  tossed  from  danger 
to  danger,  disputing  the  ground  foot  by  foot,  ad- 
vancing or  retreating  through  precipitous  mountain 
passes,  victor  and  vanquished  turn  by  turn,  seizing 


8  MEMOIRS  OF 

Luxemburg  and  the  Palatinate  only  to  lose  them 
again,  alas  !  but  only  losing  them  to  recapture  them, 
and  to  recapture  them  once  more,  always  keeping  his 
men  in  hand  and  bringing  them  up  to  time,  despi- 
sing the  party-cries  that  divide  politicians,  forgetting 
everything  so  that  he  might  keep  before  his  mind  the 
great  image  of  his  country,  and  only  returning  to 
embrace  his  wife  and  his  first-born  in  its  cradle  at 
rare  intervals,  when  too  serious  a  wound  had  made 
the  sword  drop  from  his  crippled  hand.  And  as 
he  was  in  this  his  apprenticeship  in  war,  so  was 
he  to  remain  throughout  the  course  of  his  stormy 
career. 

It  is  difficult  to  follow  our  hero  step  by  step 
during  the  early  part  of  these  campaigns  ;  neverthe- 
less, we  can  mention  the  most  important  combats, 
gleaned  from  the  records  of  the  3rd  Battalion  of  the 
Meuse  in  the  archives  of  the  Ministry  of  War. 

On  the  25th  of  December  1792,  the  3rd  Battalion 
was  under  fire  at  Vaverenne,  near  Treves.  On  the 
9th  of  June  1793,  it  entered  victorious  into  Arlon. 
On  the  20th  of  September,  it  masked  the  town  of 
Bitche,  pursued  the  enemy,  and  harassed  their 
retreat.  On  that  day  began  for  Oudinot  the  long 
series  of  wounds  which  were  to  stamp  his  sturdy 
frame  with  a  net-work  of  scars  :  he  received  a  sword- 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  9 

wound  in  the  head.  A  month  later,  he  revenged 
himself  by  a  success  at  Saverne  and  encamped 
himself  the  next  day  in  front  of  that  town,  at  the 
foot  of  the  hills,  at  Saint-Jean-des-Choux. 

Conduct  so  valiant  could  not  fail  to  draw  attention 
to  the  young-  officer.  A  fortnight  after,  he  was  ap- 
pointed colonel  and  placed  in  command  of  the  4th 
Demi-Brigade,  which  had  just  been  enrolled  out  of 
one  of  the  most  brilliant  factors  of  the  old  army, 
the  Picardy  Regiment.  His  companions  in  arms  of 
the  3rd  Battalion  of  the  Meuse  took  leave  of  him 
with  keen  regret,  of  which  valuable  evidence  remains 
in  the  shape  of  twelve  addresses,  all  spontaneous, 
and  drawn  up  by  the  soldiers  in  the  ingenuous, 
turgid  style  of  the  period.  With  an  inversion  very 
characteristic  of  democracy,  it  was  the  subordinates 
who  gave  certificates  to  their  superior  officer.  Here 
is  a  specimen  which  is  touching  in  its  undeniable 
accents  of  sincerity : 

Army  of  the  Rhine,  3rd  Battalion,  4th  Demi-brigade. 
If  to  combine  the  courage  of  a  soldier  with  the  talents 
of  a  leader,  the  love  of  one's  country  and  one's  duty  with 
an  inveterate  hatred  of  kings  and  tyranny,  a  constant  pro- 
fession of  the  purest  principles  with  the  practice  of  re- 
publican virtues,  constitutes  a  claim  to  the  gratitude  of  all 
good  Republicans,  the  Grenadiers  of  the  3rd  Battalion  of 


lo  MEMOIRS  OF 

he  4th  Demi-Brigade  of  infantry  bear  witness  that  no  one 
has  a  greater  title  to  the  regrets  of  his  brothers-in-arms  and 
the  esteem  of  his  fellow-citizens  than  Citizen  Oudinot,  their 
chief;  that  during  the  twenty-seven  months  he  has  been  at 
their  head,  he  has  justified  their  choice  and  the  expecta- 
tions of  the  country  ;  and  that,  while  reigning  over  their 
hearts,  the  authority  confided  to  him  by  the  law  has  grown 
daily  in  his  hands  through  the  ascendancy  which  he  derived 
from  his  proved  intrepidity,  his  calm  valour  in  the  midst 
of  danger,  and  all  the  qualities  which  endear  an  officer  to 
his  soldiers  and  make  him  precious  in  the  eyes  of  the 
Republic. 

At   the    bivouac,    on   the    heights   of    Saint-Jean-des-Choux,    the    5th    of 
November,   Year  II  of  the  One  and  Indivisible  Republic. 

But  very  different  was  the  spirit  w^hich  animated 
the  new  officers  subordinate  to  Oudinot,  those  of  the 
Picardy  Regiment,  noblemen  by  birth  and  strongly 
attached  to  their  recollections  of  former  times. 
They  felt  aggrieved  at  serving  under  a  colonel  of 
modest  parentage,  a  leader  whose  merits  they  had 
not  yet  learned  to  appreciate.  A  dull  feeling  of  dis- 
content spread  among  them,  and  a  number  threatened 
to  emigrate,  as  so  many  of  their  friends  had  already 
done.  Warned  of  this  hostility  to  his  person,  Oudi- 
not sent  for  all  the  officers,  and  addressed  them  in 
these  concise  and  manly  terms  : 

"  Gentlemen,  is  it  because  I  do  not  bear  an  old 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  ii 

name  that  you  propose  to  desert  me  and  to  return 
to  your  former  titled  chiefs  ?  Or  do  you  think  that 
I  am  too  young  to  command  you  ?  Wait  till  the 
next  engagement,  and  you  shall  judge  for  yourselves. 
If  you  then  think  that  I  bear  myself  badly  under 
fire,  I  promise  to  hand  over  my  command  to  the 
worthiest  among  you." 

Need  we  say  that,  after  the  fight,  none  thought  of 
repudiating  a  colonel  so  brave  and  already  so  ex- 
perienced, in  spite  of  his  six  and  twenty  years  } 

One  day,  in  his  old  age,  when  he  was  relating  this 
anecdote,  some  one  remarked  how  he  must  have 
loved  these  brave  men,  who  had  been  able  so 
quickly  to  stifle  their  prejudices,  and  who  had  so 
fully  given  him  their  hearts.  "  Ah,  you  asked  me 
if  I  loved  them  !  "  he  exclaimed,  eagerly,  "  I  should 
think  I  did  love  them !  I  orot  them  all  killed  ! " 
To  his  mind  the  most  enviable  ending  for  a  true 
soldier  was  a  glorious  death  on  the  battle-field. 

On  the  27th  of  November,  in  the  course  of  an 
offensive  movement  on  the  part  of  the  army  of  the 
Rhine,  with  the  object  of  recapturing  the  lines  of 
Wissembourg,  a  hot  engagement  took  place  in  the 
woods  surrounding  Haguenau.  Oudinot,  who  was 
fulfillino-  ad  intci'im  the  functions  of  g-eneral,  received 
a  bullet  in  the  head.     The  wound  was  so  serious  that 


12  MEMOIRS    OF 

three  months  later  it  had  not  yet  healed,  and  Colonel 
Oudinot  was  compelled  to  go  home  to  his  family  at 
Bar-le-Duc  on  sick-leave  {24  February  1794). 

He  returned  a  little  later,  in  time  to  save  a  division 
of  the  army  of  the  Vosges,  which,  under  the  orders 
of  General  Ambert,  was  encamped  at  Kaisers- 
lautern  and  connected  our  lines  on  the  Moselle 
with  those  on  the  Rhine.  It  had  been  found  neces- 
sary to  weaken  Kaiserslautern  in  order  to  reinforce 
the  army  of  Sambre-et-Meuse  ;  and  Field-Marshal 
Mollendorf,  taking  advantage  of  this  weakness,  at- 
tacked this  point  with  a  superior  force.  We  were 
obliged  to  give  way.  But  Oudinot,  who  occupied 
the  centre  of  the  position  at  Morlautern,  conducted 
the  retreat  so  energetically,  and  led  the  rear-guard 
so  surely  through  woods,  gorges  and  defiles,  that 
our  soldiers  were  able  to  fall  back  in  good  order 
upon  Pirmasens,  where  they  established  themselves 
firmly  (2  June).  It  was  there  that  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  people,  a  few  days  later,  appointed 
him  brigadier-general,  in  reward  for  this  signal 
service.      He  was  twenty- seven  years  of  age. 

Meanwhile,  our  armies  were  victorious  in  Holland 
and  Luxemburg,  and  the  honourable  check  en- 
countered at  Kaiserslautern  was  not  enough  to 
reduce  us   to  the  defensive.     The  corps  to  which 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT 


13 


Oudinot  was  attached  was  directed  upon  Treves.  But 
hardly  had  they  come  upon  that  place,  when  the  youno- 
general  fell  from  his  horse,  while  leading  a  victorious 
charge  against  the  enemy  ( i  r  August).  The  fall 
was  so  heavy  as  to  break  his  leg.  The  fracture 
was  very  serious ;  the  surgeons  doubted  whether  it 
could  ever  be  quite  cured  ;  and  he  beheld  himself,  in 
despair,  removed,  perhaps  for  ever,  from  active 
service.  So  soon  as  he  was  able  to  stand  up,  he 
was  appointed  Governor  of  the  city  he  had  helped 
to  conquer.  But  his  enfeebled  condition  did  not 
even  permit  him  to  fulfil  this  sedentary  office.  In 
January  1795  he  was  obliged,  as  in  the  preceding 
year,  to  apply  for  sick  leave.  The  following  hand- 
some certificate  was  handed  him  by  one  who  was  a 
good  judge  of  men,  General  Moreau  : 

A  brave  soldier,  has  great  firmness,  is  possessed  of  a 
pure  and  well-proved  patriotism,  and  fulfils  the  duties  of 
his  grade  with  zeal,  intelligence,  and  distinction. 

Moreau, 
General  commanding  the  Army  of  the  Moselle. 

25  Nivose,  Year  III  (January  1795). 

When  Oudinot  returned,  after  six  months  of 
wearying  inaction,  he  had  the  satisfaction  to  find 
our  troops  victorious  on  every  hand  and  masters  of 
the  left  bank  of  the   Rhine.      He  took  up  his  post 


14  MEMOIRS  OF 

with  Pichegru,  who  was  preparing  to  cross  the  river. 
This  operation  took  place  on  the  20th  of  September, 
before  Manheim,  which  surrendered.  But  the 
absence  of  harmony  in  the  movements  of  the 
different  armies  impeded  our  progress  in  that  direc- 
tion. The  enemy  attacked  us  to  their  advantage, 
on  the  night  of  the  i8th  of  October,  at  Neckerau, 
where  General  Oudinot  received  five  sword-strokes 
tuid  was  left  lying  on  the  field.  The  Austrians 
raised  his  blood-covered  body  with  respect. 

After  a  captivity  of  three  months,  which  he  under- 
went at  Ulm,  Oudinot  was  exchanged  against  Major- 
General  Zainiau,  who  had  been  taken  prisoner  at 
Heidelberor.  The  treatment  of  his  wounds  com- 
pelled  him  to  seek  several  months  of  repose,  and 
when  he  returned  to  active  service  he  was  so  weak 
that  they  would  only  give  him  the  command  of  the 
fortified  place  of  Phalsbourg  (2  June  1796).  But 
his  talents  were  not  made  to  remain  hidden  in  this 
obscure  post.  Never  satiated  nor  discouraged,  his 
ardour  thirsted  for  the  fight,  for  danger,  for  glory. 
The  occasion  was  favourable  to  him.  Our  armies 
had  invaded  Germany.  He  begged  permission  to 
hasten  to  the  battle-fields,  and  early  in  July  he  re- 
ceived leave  to  join  Moreau,  who  had  crossed  the 
Rhine    and    was    marching    up    the    valley    of    the 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  15 

Necker.  The  army  had  entered  Bavaria.  Oudinot, 
after  occupying  Nordhngen,  Donauwert  and  Neu- 
burg,  was  instructed  to  invest  Ingolstadt,  on 
the  Danube.  Attacked  during  the  investment  by 
General  Latour,  and  obliged  to  replace  his  chief 
Delmas,  who  was  wounded  at  the  commencement 
of  the  action,  he  withstood  the  attack  at  Neuburg 
for  more  than  six  hours  with  unflinching  resolution  : 
a  bullet  in  the  thigh,  three  sword-cuts  in  the  neck 
and  a  fourth  on  the  arm  were  scarcely  able  to  tear 
him  from  the  field  (14  September). 

After  a  month's  nursing,  and  still  covered  with  con- 
tusions, he  returned  in  time  to  assist  Moreau  in  his 
glorious  retreat,  which  is  celebrated  as  equal  to  a 
victory.  At  Ettenheim,  men  wondered  to  see  him 
charge  the  enemy  with  his  arm  in  a  sling,  and  force 
them  to  fall  back.  Then,  after  again  passing,  at 
Brissach,  that  deceptive  line  of  the  Rhine  which  we 
were  always  crossing  without  ever  remaining  masters 
of  both  banks,  he  crossed  Alsace  with  crushing 
speed,  masked  Landau,  recaptured  the  defences  of 
Oueich  and  Spirebach,  reconquered  the  Palatinate, 
in  which  he  had  already  so  greatly  distinguished 
himself  in  former  years,  and  pushed  on  to  Oggers- 
heim,  opposite  Manheim.  There  he  completely 
defeated   the  Austrians  in  the  batde  of  the  7th  of 


1 6  MEMOIRS  OF 

November,  which  permitted  him  to  winter  at  Grun- 
stadt,  in  the  heart  of  the  country,  where  he  remained 
during  the  year  1797. 

Surely  a  marvellous  military  career !  One  can 
picture  nothing  finer  than  this  commander  always 
in  the  front  rank,  risking  his  life  in  the  meUe,  never 
intimidated,  flying  to  wherever  the  danger  was 
thickest,  venturing  into  hand-to-hand  conflicts  at 
the  sword's  point,  and  purchasing  his  steps  with 
the  blood  from  his  wounds.  And  yet  these  wounds, 
which  placed  him  so  high  in  the  general  estimation, 
were  bound  on  the  other  hand  to  delay  his  advance- 
ment. They  removed  him  for  long  periods  from 
his  command  ;  he  seemed,  so  to  speak,  to  appear 
only  to  vanish  again  from  the  battle-field,  and  the 
army  was  too  often  deprived  of  his  services.  Had 
he  been  less  unlucky  under  fire,  and  able  to 
lead  his  men  continuously,  he  would  perhaps  more 
speedily,  if  not  with  more  brilliancy,  have  attained 
the  supreme  rank  which  he  was  only  to  receive  very 
late  and  in  times  of  disaster. 

At  last,  the  Italian  campaign  and  the  Treaty  of 
Campo-Formio  put  a  stop,  at  least  temporarily,  to 
the  war  ;  but  a  secret  convention  of  the  Congress  of 
Rastadt  having  granted  us  Mayence  and  the  head 
of  the  Bridge  of  Manheim,    on   condition   that  we 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  17 

should  seize  it  by  force,  Oudinot  was  charged  with 
the  execution  of  this  stroke  upon  ground  so  famiHar 
to  him,  a  commission  of  which  he  satisfactorily  ac- 
quitted himself  (25  January  1798). 

It  seems  as  though  such  success  through  six  years 
of  fighting  should  have  earned  us  peace,  under  the 
shelter  of  that  belt  of  the  Rhine  now  become  inviol- 
able ;  but  British  jealousy  refused  to  recognize  our 
extension  of  territory,  and  the  Directory,  in  order  to 
strike  a  blow  at  a  constantly  hostile  influence,  pre- 
pared to  invade  Great  Britain.  Oudinot  was  sent 
to  the  army  which  was  being  organised  in  Normandy, 
and  arrived  at  Coutances  in  March.  His  stay  was 
as  short  as  the  dream,  no  sooner  imagined  than 
effaced,  of  that  famous  descent.  He  soon  returned 
to  Mayence,  and  remained  on  the  look-out  before 
our  questionable  neighbours. 

The  truce  did  not  last  long,  and  this  time  there 
marched  against  us,  from  the  depths  of  Europe, 
enemies  hitherto  unknown.  At  the  end  of  1798, 
Oudinot  was  ordered  to  proceed,  under  Massena's 
command,  to  Switzerland,  where,  in  the  course  of 
the  following  spring,  the  greater  part  of  this  gigantic 
campaign  was  to  be  enacted.  The  Army  of  Helvetia, 
which  had  boldly  advanced  to  the  eastern  shore  of 
Lake  Constance,  attempted  to  join  hands  with  Jour- 


i8  MEMOIRS  OF 

dan,  who  was  en<jao'ecl  on  the  Danube.  In  order  to 
effect  this  junction,  it  was  necessary  to  open  up  a 
passage  straight  through  the  Vorarlberg,  past  Feld- 
kirch,  a  sort  of  narrow,  marshy  and  almost  impractic- 
able gorge,  sunk  in  the  breast  of  the  most  rugged 
mountains  on  either  side  of  the  current  of  the  111. 
It  was  to  Oudinot's  imperturbable  devotion  that  this 
thankless  task  was  confided. 

On  the  6th  of  March  1799,  he  attacked,  made 
six  hundred  prisoners,  and  all  but  passed.  On 
the  15th,  he  again  delivered  a  fruitless  assault. 
On  the  23rd,  he  succeeded  in  fording  the  111, 
advanced  over  that  frightful  ground,  in  spite  of  a 
hail-storm  of  bullets,  grape,  and  round  shot,  in  spite 
of  the  rocks  which  the  peasants  rolled  like  avalanches 
from  the  mountain-tops  ;  but  he  lost  three  thousand 
men  before  his  obstinacy  could  make  any  impression 
upon  those  impregnable  rocks. 

Massena  saw  all  the  advantage  to  be  gained  from 
a  man  of  this  extraordinary  energy  ;  he  made  him  a 
general  of  division,  and  soon  after  appointed  him 
chief  of  staff. 

But  it  was  not  possible  to  keep  the  offensive,  at 
least  for  the  time.  The  army  entrenched  itself  in 
a  strong  position  behind  the  river  Limmat,  w^hich 
issues  from  the  Lake  of  Zurich,  and  showed  that  it 


MARSHAL  OUniNOT  19 

did  not  mean  to  allow  itself  to  be  easily  dislodged 
from  this  line  of  defence.  This  was  proved  by 
the  engagements  of  the  24th  of  May  and  4th  of 
June,  in  which  General  Oudinot  took  a  glorious 
part.  In  the  latter  he  was  struck  by  a  ball  in 
the  chest. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  the  Army  of  Helvetia  was 
enforced  by  the  arrival  of  an  unexpected  recruit. 
Oudinot  had  a  son,  quite  a  young  child,  who  was 
always  in  his  thoughts.  In  order  to  inure  him  to 
the  hardships  of  war,  and  to  train  him  to  the  service 
of  his  country,  he  thought  he  could  not  do  better 
than  give  him  his  own  example  and  that  of  his 
soldiers,  and  allow  him  to  mingle  in  the  camp  duties 
and  the  fortunes  of  the  battle-field.  Young  Victor, 
destined  himself  one  day  to  become  General  Oudinot, 
to  capture  Rome  and  re-establish  the  Papal  power, 
was  noted  for  the  Corps  of  Guides  in  June  1799, 
although  he  had  not  yet  completed  his  eighth  year. 
Mounted  on  a  pony,  he  gravely  went  through  his 
duties,  with  a  droll  and  attractive  rigidity ;  and 
though  occasionally  interrupting  this  severe  school- 
ing in  order  to  play  at  marbles  with  bullets,  he 
hardened  his  little  body  and  tempered  his  spirit  in 
these  terrific  combats,  to  the  echo  of  the  cannon 
reverberating  through  the  Alps. 


2  0  MEMOIRS  OF 

On  the  14th  of  August,  at  Schwitz,  Oudinot 
stopped  the  Austrians  and  their  peasant  levies, 
who  were  threatening  to  turn  our  rear  while  we 
were  making  head  to  the  Russians  ;  and  on  charg- 
ing at  the  head  of  a  regiment  of  Dragoons,  he 
received  a  bullet  in  the  shoulder. 

Meanwhile,  the  position  of  the  army  became  daily 
more  critical.  Inferior  in  numbers,  threatened  on 
the  north  by  the  Russians  under  Korsakoff,  on  the 
east  by  the  Austrians  under  Hotze,  and  on  the 
south  by  the  Russians  under  Souwaroff,  it  became 
necessary  to  burst  through  this  iron  girdle,  which 
every  day  drew  closer  around  it.  Massena  first 
attacked  Korsakoff,  who  was  on  the  right  bank  of 
the  Limmat,  and  occupied  Zurich.  He  entrusted  to 
Oudinot,  who  was  in  command  of  a  corps  of  fifteen 
thousand  men,  the  task  of  crossing  the  river,  swarm- 
ing up  the  right  bank,  and  surrounding  the  town. 
So  w^ell  did  Oudinot  take  his  measures,  so  prompt 
and  secret  were  his  movements,  that  he  broke  up 
the  camp  at  Houg,  forestalled  the  Russians  on  the 
road  to  Winterthur,  which  was  ardently  disputed, 
and  succeeded  in  cutting  off  their  retreat.  Then, 
next  day,  he  returned  on  his  steps,  and  after  a 
terrible  combat,  although  receiving  a  bullet  in  his 
chest,  he  took  Zurich  by  storm,  and  there  rejoined 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  21 

his  general-in-chief.       Korsakoff  was    crushed    (26 
September). 

A  fortnight  later  Oudinot  made  himself  master  of 
Constance,  which  was  defended  not  only  by  the 
Austrians,  but  also  by  the  French  emigrants,  the 
last  remnants  of  Conde  s  army.  This  event  gave 
him  an  opportunity  to  display  that  greatness  of  heart 
and  that  spirit  of  moderation  and  clemency  which  so 
happily  tempered  his  hot-headed  character. 

The  emigrants,  who  had  been  taken  prisoners  to 
the  number  of  about  two  hundred,  expected  to  be 
shot  as  traitors  to  their  country,  as  others  had  been 
before  them,  especially  in  the  early  days  of  the 
Revolution.  So  little  hope  had  they  of  mercy, 
that  one  of  them,  addressing  Urbain,  one  of  the 
aides-de-camp,  said  : 

"  Before  I  am  put  to  death,  I  should  like  to  make 
a  request  of  the  Prince  de  Conde." 

Urbain,  who  knew  his  chief,  flew  into  a  rage  : 

"  For  what  do  you  take  my  general,  monsieur?" 
he  cried.  "  Do  you  think  it  is  his  custom  to  massacre 
his  prisoners  ?  " 

Certainly,  it  was  impossible  for  a  patriot  like 
Oudinot  to  love  Frenchmen  who  had  taken  up  arms 
against  France,  and  he  had  shown  his  feelings  some 
years  before  when  he  kept  back  the  officers  of  the 


22  MEMOIRS  OF 

Picardy  Regiment.  Nevertheless,  he  was  not  con- 
tented on  this  occasion  to  spare  the  Hves  of  the 
offenders  :  he  had  the  further  generosity  to  wish  to 
save  them  from  the  punishments  in  store  for  them 
if  they  returned  to  their  country.  It  was  im- 
possible to  release  them  openly.  He  determined 
to  wink  at  their  escape,  and  sent  them  to  Massena 
under  an  inadequate  escort.  Almost  all  availed 
themselves  of  this  chance,  straggled  on  the  road, 
and  found  means  to  escape.  The  General-in- 
Chief  employed  the  same  artifice  in  sending  those 
who  reached  him  to  Besancon,  and  when  the 
soldiers  arrived  at  their  destination,  they  came 
empty-handed. 

This  Swiss  campaign,  which  saved  France  from 
an  invasion,  is  the  most  memorable  of  those  in 
which  Oudinot  had  taken  part  to  the  time  which 
this  narrative  has  reached.  Massena  wrote  in  his 
report  to  the  Directory  : 

I  owe  the  greatest  praise  to  General  Oudinot,  my  chief 
of  staff,  who  knows  how  to  apply  his  fiery  energy  to  clerical 
labour,  but  whom  I  am  always  glad  to  have  back  on  the 
battle-field.  He  has  followed  me  in  everything,  and  has 
made  a  perfect  second  in  command. 

He  also  wrote  Oudinot  the  following  letter : 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  23 

Head-quarters,  Zurich,  9  Brumaire,  Year  VIII. 
(31  October  1799). 

The  Executive  of  the  Directory  has  expressed  to  the 
Army  of  the  Danube,  in  its  letter  of  the  22nd  of  Vendemiaire 
last,  the  recognition  of  the  public,  and  its  private  satisfac- 
tion, at  the  Army's  glorious  achievements  from  the  3rd  to 
the  1 8th  of  the  same  month.  The  Directory  has  also  been 
pleased  to  extend  its  notice  to  those  who  have  so  bravely 
contributed  to  them. 

How  eagerly  I  seize  this  opportunity,  my  dear  general, 
to  refer  once  more  to  the  energy,  bravery  and  intelligence 
with  which  you  have  seconded  me,  not  on  one  occasion 
only :  you  were  everywhere.  Accept  at  once  the  assur- 
ance of  the  public  recognition,  of  the  satisfaction  of  the 
Government,  and  of  my  personal  esteem  and  attachment. 
I  feel  sure  that  you  will  consider  this  the  most  gratifying 
reward  for  your  invaluable  services. 

With  friendly  greetings, 

Mass£na. 

After  a  leave  of  five  months,  necessary  for  the 
cure  of  his  numerous  wounds,  Oudinot  rejoined  the 
Army  of  Liguria  under  the  orders  of  Massena,  who 
wished  again  to  make  sure  of  his  "  invaluable 
services  "  as  chief  of  staff.  This  time  the  task  set 
him  was  a  very  difficult  one,  and  unattended  by- 
much  hope  of  victory.  He  was  to  immure  himself 
in  Genoa,  so  as  to  keep  idle  around  him  a  proportion 


2  4  MEMOIRS  OF 

of  the  Austrian  forces,  and  thus  enable  the  youngr 
master  of  France,  Bonaparte,  now  First  Consul,  to 
hurl  the  thunderbolt  of  Marengo.  It  was  a  work  of 
sheer  self-sacrifice. 

The  small  French  division  was  bottled  up  in  the 
fortress  on  the  6th  of  April  1800.  between  the 
Austrian  troops,  who  crowned  the  mountains,  and 
the  British  squadron,  which  blockaded  the  port. 
It  would  not  be  possible  to  describe  here  in  detail 
this  famous  siege,  with  its  sorties,  its  incessant 
combats,  the  sufterings  of  the  inhabitants,  the  riots 
of  women,  the  endurance  of  the  soldiers,  the  famine, 
the  necessity  of  eatino-  uneatable  thinos,  herbs, 
unclean  beasts,  and,  under  the  Illusive  name  of 
bread,  a  mysterious  compound  of  starch,  linseed 
and  cocoa. 

Oudinot  distinouished  himself  amono-  the  most 
indefatigable.  He  even  risked  leaving  the  city, 
under  the  most  venturesome  conditions,  to  go  him- 
self in  search  of  news  of  General  Suchet,  who  was 
enorao-eci  on  the  \^ar.  and  to  carrv  him  his  orders. 
On  the  16th  of  May.  a  bark,  commanded  by  a 
corsair  called  Bavastro,  bore  him  boldly  through  the 
English  fleet,  risking,  a  hundred  times,  capture  or 
destruction.  In  spite  of  all,  he  got  ashore  at  Finale, 
accomplished  his  errand,  anci  returned  to  Genoa  to 

\ 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  25 

resume,  amid  his  companions,  his  post  of  want  and 
famine. 

An  episode  related  by  Oudinot  himself  describes 
the  horrible  situation  of  the  city  : 

We  made  three  thousand  prisoners  at  the  time  when 
the  famine  was  raging  at  its  worst.  I  took  the  orders 
of  the  General-in-Chief,  and  wrote  to  General  Ott,  who 
commanded  the  hostile  army,  describing  the  condition 
in  which  his  men  would  be  in  consequence  of  our  own 
predicament.  The  Austrian  replied  that,  as  the  town  was 
shortly  about  to  be  captured,  the  prisoners  would  not  have 
time  to  starve. 

The  famine  grew  more  and  more  oppressive.  I  wrote 
again,  and  during  six  weeks,  each  of  my  renewed  messages 
received  the  same  reply.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  not  a 
single  prisoner  was  left  alive  :  the  poor  wretches,  im- 
prisoned in  a  ship  at  anchor,  had  begun  by  eating  the 
rigging  and  their  shirts,  and  ended  by  eating  one  another. 

We  ourselves  were  reduced  to  such  a  state  of  distress 
that  our  soldiers  were  glad  to  eat  the  straw  of  the  hospitals. 
Soon  this  last  resource  gave  out,  and  we  were  only  able 
to  keep  up  our  strength  by  drinking  the  generous  wines 
which  we  discovered  in  quantities  in  the  cellars  of  the 
town.  One  saw  sentinels,  unable  to  hold  themselves  erect, 
mounting  guard  seated  in  gilt  arm-chairs,  and  drinking 
claret  in  their  misery. 

In  i8i5,when  I  met  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  I  learnt 
from  his  lips  that  the  disaster  of  these  three  thousand  men 


26  MEMOIRS  OF 

had  been  turned  against  me.  I  then  informed  him  of  the 
truth,  and  offered  to  let  him  verify  the  facts  from  my 
letter-books.  The  Emperor  refused  to  examine  them  and 
accepted  my  word. 

In  the  end,  lest  he  should  undergo  the  same 
fate,  Massena  had  to  resolve  to  evacuate  the  town. 
Famished,  reduced  by  half,  but  still  terrible,  the 
soldiers,  or  rather  their  ghosts,  issued  proudly 
forth,  and  retained  their  freedom.  They  made  use 
of  this  to  rejoin  Suchet's  army. 

Ten  days  later,  the  victory  of  Marengo  having 
led  to  an  armistice,  Oudinot  went  to  Bar-le-Duc  to 
restore  his  health  shattered  by  so  many  trials,  re- 
turning to  his  post  in  Italy,  under  the  orders  of 
Brune,  in  November,  at  the  commencement  of 
hostilities. 

The  army  advanced  eastwards  across  Lombardy, 
drivinof  the  Austrians  before  them,  who  entrenched 
themselves  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Mincio  in  order 
to  dispute  its  passage.  The  attack  was  delivered 
upon  two  points,  first  at  Pozzolo,  and  the  next  day 
at  Monzembano  (26  December).  It  was  there 
that  Oudinot,  seeing  one  of  the  enemy's  batteries 
crushing  our  troops  from  the  top  of  an  eminence 
and  paralyzing  the  movement,  collected  some  Chas- 
seurs of  the  14th  Regiment,  rushed  with  them  upon 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  27 

the  bridge,  crossed  it,  leapt  upon  the  Austrians, 
overturned  them,  drove  them  to  flight,  himself  took 
possession  of  a  gun,  and  by  this  bold  exploit  en- 
abled Boudet's  division  to  come  up,  thus  assuring 
the  success  of  a  manoeuvre  the  issue  of  which  had 
till  then  remained  uncertain. 

On  the  30th  of  December,  Brune  wrote  to  the 
First  Consul : 

General  Oudinot  has  sabred  the  enemy's  gunners  at 
their  pieces.  Would  you  not  think  it  right  to  bestow 
some  honourable  distinction  on  him  .'' 

In  the  sequel,  Oudinot,  when  sent  to  Paris  with 
the  text  of  the  armistice  signed  by  the  belligerents 
on  the  i6th  of  January  1801,  was  received  in  the 
most  flattering  manner  by  Bonaparte,  who  pre- 
sented him  with  a  sword  of  honour  and  with  the 
piece  of  ordnance  which  he  had  so  nobly  carried 
off. 

During  the  years  that  followed,  France,  satiated 
with  battle  and  military  glory,  hoped  to  enjoy  a 
lasting  peace.  Oudinot  was  appointed  inspector  of 
infantry,  and  then  inspector  of  cavalry,  and  was  able 
at  intervals  to  seek  rest  at  home,  without  being 
driven  to  do  so  by  the  care  of  his  wounds.  In  1802 
he  lost  his  mother,  and  ip  the  game  year  he  began 


28  MEMOIRS  OF 

his  political  career,  and  was  elected  by  his  fellow- 
citizens  to  the  presidency  of  the  electoral  college 
of  the  Meuse. 

The  formation  of  the  camp  at  Boulogne  gave  him 
the  command  of  a  corps,  under  the  orders  of  his 
old  friend  General  Davout.  He  assisted  for  the 
second  time  in  the  preparations  for  that  chimerical 
descent  upon  England,  the  idea  of  which  carried 
away  Napoleon  as  it  had  before  seduced  Hoche  and 
the  Directory.  Two  years  of  hard  work  were  spent 
in  the  organization  of  infinite  details,  to  which  his 
versatile  intellect  lent  itself  as  readily  as  to  the 
leading  of  men  under  fire. 

It  is  here  that  we  first  meet  with  a  person  of 
modest  condition,  Oudinot's  valet-de-chainbre,  who 
deserves  mention  because  of  his  extraordinary  de- 
votion to  his  master,  the  fidelity  with  which  he 
followed  him  through  all  his  campaigns,  and  the 
Memoirs  which  he  left  behind  him,  memoirs  of  no 
literary  value,  but  sincere  and  refreshing  in  their 
very  simplicity.  This  worthy  man,  Pils  by  name, 
was  an  Alsacian.  Oudinot  met  the  lad  in  camp, 
took  an  interest  in  him,  and  attached  him  to  his 
person.  He  followed  the  General  wherever  he 
went,  even  under  fire  ;  and  as  he  had  no  business 
there,  he  concealed    himself  as  much   as    possible, 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  29 

clipping  in  among  the  officers  of  the  staff,  for  fear  of 
a  scolding. 

One  day,  Pils,  who  had  ventured  out  as  usual, 
in  spite  of  his  master's  orders,  had  his  horse  killed 
under  him.  Oudinot  saw  in  this  circumstance  the 
occasion  for  a  peremptory  argument  which  would  for 
good  prevent  his  servant  from  exposing  himself 

"  You  see  you  are  killing  my  horses,"  he  said,  with 
apparent  roughness.  "  I  forbid  you  positively  to 
return." 

In  the  next  battle,  the  incorrigible  Pils  was 
behind  his  master. 

"  I  thought  I  had  forbidden  you  to  come  back !  " 

"  Oh,  general,  I  don't  deserve  any  reproaches  ; 
the  horse  belongs  to  me  :  I  bought  it  out  of  my 
savings ! " 

Pils,  for  that  matter,  had  a  mission  in  life  :  he 
knew  that  "the  Governor,"^  as  Oudinot  was  affec- 
tionately called  by  his  officers,  was  almost  regularly 
wounded  in  every  engagement,  and  Pils  made  it  his 
business  to  carry  a  case  of  instruments,  so  as  to  be 
able  to  apply  the  first  dressings  at  once.  On  the 
other  hand,  as  he  had  a  great  natural  taste  for 
drawing,  he  liked  to  plant  himself  in  a  corner  of  the 
battle-field,   take  from  his  pocket  a  note-book  and 

1  "Le  Patron."— K.  T.  DE  M. 


30 


MEMOIRS  OF  MARSHAL  OUDINOT 


pencil,  and  calmly  sketch  the  scene  of  action  and  the 
action  itself  with  ingenuous  awkwardness  but  striking 
precision.  When  peace  was  made,  Pils  endeavoured 
to  commence  his  artistic  education  ;  he  was  admitted 
to  Horace  Vernet's  studio,  but  was  never  able  to 
learn  the  first  elements  of  art,  or  to  achieve  correct- 
ness of  drawing. 

However,  he  transmitted  more  easily  cultivated 
natural  gifts  to  his  son — Isidore  Pils — whose  well- 
known  picture,  "  Rouget  de  I'lsle  for  the  first  time 
declaiming  the  Marseillaise,"  has  been  so  often 
reproduced.  Isidore  papered  the  walls  of  his  studio 
with  his  father's  daubs,  and  either  in  comparison  of 
their  quick  spontaneity  with  his  own  somewhat  frigid 
art,  or  from  respectful  piety,  used  to  say  : 

•*  My  father  was  more  of  a  painter  than  I." 


CHAPTER  II 


The  first  Austrian  campaign — Oudinot  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Grenadiers 
— Oudinot  at  Wertingen — His  success  at  Amstetten — He  participates  in 
the  capture  of  the  Thabor-Briicke — His  heroism  at  the  sanguinary  victory 
of  Hollabrtinn — He  shows  himself  as  great  an  administrator  as  a  soldier, 
and  wins  the  afifections  of  the  people  of  Neuchatel — Their  gratitude 
— He  receives  the  freedom  of  Neuchatel — The  Prussian  and  Polish 
campaigns — The  Victory  of  Ostrolenka — Oudinot  before  Dantzig — Fresh 
victories  over  the  Russians — His  tenacity  and  his  services  at  Friedland — He 
falls  from  his  horse  at  Dantzig — He  meets  Mile,  de  Coucy — The  Coucy 
family — Its  adventures  during  the  Revolution — Robespierre  the  Younger 
— The  Chanoinesse  de  Coucy — Life  at  Vitry-le-Francois  at  the  end  of  the 
eighteenth  century — M.  Leclerc,  Prefect  of  the  Meuse — The  Princesse 
Borghese's  bath — Visit  to  Bar-le-Duc — Mile,  de  Coucy  is  constantly 
attracted  by  the  name  of  Oudinot — The  Comtesse  Oudinot — General 
Oudinot's  purchase  of  the  estate  of  Jeand'heurs. 


Time  passed  by  at  the  camp  of  Boulogne,  the  bad 
season  approached,  and  the  descent  upon  England 
became  more  and  more  perilous.  Suddenly  Napo- 
leon abandoned  the  idea,  changed  his  plans,  and 
hurled  upon  Central  Europe  the  whole  of  the 
formidable  machinery  which  he  had  been  building 
up  so  laboriously  during  the  past  two  years.  Oudinot 
set  out  for  Germany  at  brief  notice  (i6  August 
1805),  proud  at  commanding  the  finest,  most  warlike 
and  most  famous  troops  in  the  army.  He  had  been 
placed  at  the  head  of  the  Grenadiers  whom  Junot  had 


32  MEMOIRS  OF 

formed  at  Arras  the  year  before.  These  consisted 
of  carefully  chosen  veterans,  proved  in  numerous 
campaigns,  of  tall  stature,  thoroughly  disciplined, 
irreproachable  in  their  drill,  and  embodying  in 
their  own  persons  the  summit  of  the  military  spirit. 
They  could  be  told  at  a  distance  by  their  imposing 
appearance  as  well  as  their  new  uniform  :  they  had 
replaced  the  old-fashioned  busby  by  the  sober  shako, 
and  the  long,  powdered  pig-tail  by  close-cropped 
hair.  They  reached  Strasburg  in  September  with 
their  commander. 

The  army  advanced  into  Germany  with  such 
rapidity,  mystery  and  suddenness  that  they  were 
well  into  Bavaria  before  the  Austrians  suspected  the 
direction  they  had  taken.  On  the  7th  of  October, 
the  advance  corps,  and  Oudinot  with  them,  were 
on  the  right  bank  of  the  Danube,  ascending  the 
stream  in  order  to  cut  off  Mack's  retreat  and  im- 
prison him  in  Ulm.  On  the  8th,  they  encountered 
the  Austrian  advance  posts  at  Wertigen  ;  the  shock 
was  an  ardent  one  ;  the  enemy  was  pursued  by  our 
Dragoons,  but  retired  in  fighting  order  and  con- 
centred upon  a  plateau  in  a  solid  mass,  which  our 
cavalry  could  not  succeed  in  breaking  through. 
Finally  Murat  attacked  the  front  square,  while  the 
Grenadiers    charged    impetuously    upon    the    flank. 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  33 

Everything  yielded  before  them :  two  thousand 
prisoners,  two  flags  and  eleven  guns  were  the  result 
of  the  day's  fighting.  The  campaign  opened  with  a 
success  in  which  Oudinot  played  a  prominent  part. 
The  Grenadiers,  in  their  enthusiasm,  nicknamed  him 
"  their  father." 

Ten  days  later,  Mack  was  reduced  to  capitulating 
in  Ulm,  whence  the  Archduke  Ferdinand  escaped 
with  difficulty  with  twenty  thousand  men.  Murat 
and  Oudinot,  rushing  in  pursuit,  harassed  him 
incessantly  to  Nordlingen,  and  took  twelve  thousand 
prisoners. 

The  Russians,  who  had  not  arrived  in  time  to 
support  Mack,  hastily  retired  towards  Vienna,  pressed 
by  Murat,  Lannes  and  Oudinot,  who  joined  their 
rear-guard  upon  the  right  bank  of  the  Danube  at 
Amstetten,  on  the  border  of  Upper  and  Lower 
Austria  (4  November).  Thus  Oudinot  found  him- 
self once  more  confronting  the  Russians,  for  the 
first  time  since  the  battle  of  Zurich,  where  he  had 
crushed  them  six  years  previously.  They  were 
astride  the  Vienna  road,  their  wings  overrunning  on 
either  side  into  the  forest. 

The  following  details  of  the  operations  are  taken 
from  a  manuscript  of  Oudinot's-: 

The  division  of  the  Grenadiers,  unsupported  by 


34  MEMOIRS  OF 

artillery  and  preceded  by  its  light  cavalry  and  two 
hundred  Carabineers,  bore  down  upon  Furnbach, 
where  was  a  corps  consisting  of  three  Russian  and 
Austrian  battalions,  who  were  forthwith  attacked  by 
the  two  hundred  Carabineers  alone,  pending  the 
arrival  of  the  column.  French  pluck  made  up  for 
deficiency  in  numbers.  In  spite  of  his  obstinate  re- 
sistance, the  enemy  was  dislodged  from  this  impor- 
tant position  and  retreated  toward  Strenberg.  There 
the  ground  w^as  disputed  foot  by  foot  and  carried 
after  three  nicldcs  with  the  Russian  Hussars,  who 
were  forced  to  yield  once  again  before  the  valour  of 
the  Grenadiers.  The  hostile  troops  fell  back  upon 
the  main  Russian  army,  consisting  of  some  twenty 
battalions  drawn  up  under  Bukaufen.  This  junction 
induced  the  enemy  to  take  the  offensive,  and  he 
began  to  manoeuvre  upon  our  flanks.  Soon  General 
Dupas  arrived  with  his  brigade,  and  the  engagement 
spread  to  all  the  troops.  The  enemy's  artillery, 
which  had  not  yet  come  into  sight,  began  to  make 
itself  heard,  and  Dupas  was  charged  by  several 
masses  of  Russians.  They  were  calmly  received 
by  his  brigade,  which  withstood  the  shock  and  kept 
up  a  well-sustained  fire.  As  night  drew  near, 
Oudinot  felt  the  necessity  for  a  fresh  attack,  and 
determined     to    move    forward     General     Ruffin's 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  35 

brigade,  which,  together  with  that  commanded  by 
Dupas,  charged  the  enemy,  overthrew  him,  and  com- 
pelled him  to  leave  the  field  in  our  possession.  In 
this  engagement  the  position  was  taken  and  re-taken 
three  times  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  The  enemy 
received  our  several  attacks  with  great  resolution  ; 
its  own  were  pluckily  delivered,  but  the  courage  of 
the  Grenadiers  prevailed. 

The  fight  at  Amstetten  was  of  great  Importance, 
not  on  account  of  the  numbers  engaged  on  either 
side,  but  because  it  cleared  the  road  to  Vienna,  the 
enemy  having  abandoned  the  right  bank  of  the 
Danube.  Entrenched  behind  the  powerful  protec- 
tion of  this  mighty  river,  the  Austro  -  Russians 
thought  themselves  in  safety,  and,  in  order  com- 
pletely to  separate  themselves  from  us,  had  only  to 
destroy  the  last  bridge  standing  before  the  gates  of 
the  capital.  This  bridge,  the  Thabor-Brlicke,  was 
built  of  wood,  and  spanned  the  principal  arm  of  the 
river,  on  the  further  side  of  a  group  of  small  islands. 
It  had  been  covered  with  fascines  and  powder- 
barrels,  so  that  it  might  easily  be  set  on  fire  at  the 
slightest  signal.  Moreover,  it  was  defended  by 
some  thousands  of  men,  and  by  cannon  on  the  left 
bank. 

Murat,  Lannes  and  Oudinot,  always  In  the  van, 


36 


MEMOIRS  OF 


were  the  first  to  enter  Vienna.  They  very  soon 
understood  that  neither  strength  nor  courage  would 
suffice  to  take  this  precious  means  of  passage  intact. 
Nevertheless,  at  about  1 1  o'clock  in  the  morning  of 
the  1 3th  of  November,  the  column  of  the  Grenadiers, 
preceded  by  Murat  and  Lannes,  noiselessly  entered 
upon  the  labyrinth  of  islands,  and  easily  reached 
the  Thabor  Bridge,  which  stretched  its  length  before 
them.  Lannes  crossed  it,  accompanied  by  a  few 
officers,  reached  the  other  side,  asked  to  speak  to 
Count  von  Auersberg,  the  commander  of  the  Austrian 
forces,  and  endeavoured  to  persuade  him  that  we 
were  no  longer  at  war  with  the  Austrians,  but  only 
with  the  Russians,  an  assertion  which  the  armistice 
demanded  by  Giulay  rendered  fairly  probable. 
While  the  enemy's  attention  was  diverted  by  these 
parleys,  Oudinot  and  his  Grenadiers  advanced 
briskly  upon  the  bridge,  flinging  into  the  water  as  they 
went  all  the  inflammable  material  heaped  up  under 
the  arches.  The  passage  had  already  been  three 
parts  effected  when  the  command  to  "  Fire ! "  rang 
out  from  the  Austrian  side.  A  moment  more,  and 
the  guns  would  have  been  discharged  and  the 
Grenadiers  drowned  beneath  the  sunken  bridge. 
Lannes  darted  towards  the  gunners,  argued  with 
them,  persuaded  them,  and  stopped  them.     Oudinot 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  37 

and  his  men  completed  their  crossing  at  the  charge, 
sprang  upon  the  left  bank,  and  snatched  the  matches 
from  the  hands  of  the  men  who  had  been  about  to 
fire. 

The  Thabor  Bridge  was  saved,  and  the  French 
themselves  were  the  most  surprised  to  find  them- 
selves masters  of  it  without  having  fired  a  shot, 
thanks  to  this  sudden  and  perilous  artifice,  which 
served  to  display  once  more  the  imperturbable  cool- 
ness of  the  Grenadiers  and  their  leader. 

This  obstacle  overcome,  the  army  marched  north- 
wards, and  came  up  with  the  Russians  under  Prince 
Bagration  at  Hollabrtinn.  Though  it  was  winter, 
the  battle  commenced  towards  the  close  of  daylight, 
at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  The  shock  was 
one  of  extraordinary  severity,  thanks  to  the  tenacity 
displayed  by  both  sides,  the  prolongation  of  the 
fiofhtinsf  into  the  closest  darkness  and  the  conse- 
quent  confusion. 

A  regiment  of  Grenadiers  posted  in  front  of  the 
village  of  Schongraben,  at  three  hundred  paces  from 
the  Russians,  hurled  itself  upon  the  latter  after  a 
heavy  fire ;  the  Russians  very  coolly  held  their 
ground,  and  bayonets  were  crossed  around  the 
village,  which  was  soon  in  flames,  set  on  fire  by  the 
shells.     A  second  regiment  hastened  up  to  support 


38  MEMOIRS  OF 

the  first,  and  overturned  the  enemy,  who  seemed  to 
contemplate  a  turning  movement  on  their  right.  In 
order  to  prevent  this  movement,  and  to  endeavour  to 
block  the  road  to  Znaim  in  the  rear,  two  brigades 
groped  forward  in  the  darkness ;  they  got  lost  in 
a  ground  intersected  with  ravines,  streamlets  and 
marshes,  and  were  forced  to  take  an  oblique  direc- 
tion. Sebastiani's  Dragoons,  who  led  the  way, 
struck  upon  a  mass  of  infantry,  without  knowing  if 
they  were  friends  or  foes.  It  was  only  by  the  light 
of  a  musket  volley  that  they  were  seen  to  be  Rus- 
sians. The  French  charged,  made  way  through  the 
enemy,  and  continued  their  march,  without  perceiving 
that  they  had  left  behind  them  a  troop  of  the  enemy, 
which  revealed  its  presence  with  volleys  of  grape-shot. 
A  fresh  charge  destroyed  it,  and  robbed  it  of  its 
cannon  ;  while  the  Grenadiers  continued  to  advance, 
but  without  meeting  any  adversaries,  and  ventured 
into  a  village  with  dark,  deserted  and  silent  streets. 
This  silence,  which  astonished  them,  caused  them  to 
scent  an  ambuscade  ;  they  drew  back  and  then  re- 
turned, while  the  Russians,  who  had  been  lurking  in 
the  houses,  suddenly  rushed  out,  roaring  like  wild 
beasts,  and  striking  furiously.  It  was  impossible  to 
fire  in  the  scrimmage.  The  men  knocked  against 
shadowy  forms,  recognizable  only  when  they  spoke, 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  39 

through  the  difference  in  language  ;  they  threw  them- 
selves upon  one  another  with  their  side-arms ;  they 
cut  each  other's  throats  without  seeing  one  another, 
and  the  carnage  did  not  cease  until  eleven  at  night. 
The  ground  remained  with  the  Grenadiers,  and 
the  next  morning,  at  daybreak,  they  counted  six 
thousand  nine  hundred  Russians  killed,  wounded 
or  prisoners.  Oudinot,  who  received  a  bullet  in 
his  thigh  during  the  action,  continued  nevertheless 
to  give  his  orders  until  the  end  (16  November). 

He  had  to  return  to  Vienna,  by  Napoleon's 
orders,  to  nurse  his  wound  ;  but  two  weeks  later, 
knowing  that  a  great  decisive  battle  was  imminent, 
he  hastened  to  Moravia  to  resume  his  post.  It  was 
two  days  before  Austerlitz. 

"  Your  courage  is  beyond  your  strength,"  said  the 
Emperor  to  him.  '*  I  shall  give  your  Grenadiers  to 
Duroc,  and  you  can  stay  with  me." 

In  spite  of  these  instructions,  Oudinot  was  un- 
able to  leave  his  dear  troupe  dUlite.  Towards  the 
close  of  the  action,  the  Grenadiers  vigorously  sup- 
ported the  attack  upon  the  village  of  Kobelnitz  and 
captured  an  important  column  of  the  enemy. 

A  victory  so  complete  necessarily  entailed  the 
conclusion  of  peace  :  a  treaty  was  signed  at  Schon- 
brunn  on  the    15th   of  December,  and   the   French 


40  MEMOIRS  OF 

army,  which  had  crossed  the  huge  territory  situated 
between  the  German  Ocean  and  the  confines  of 
Hungary,  without  stopping  except  to  fight,  was  at 
length  able  to  breathe  and  to  return  home.  It  was 
a  triumphant  and  yet  painfi.il  march,  in  the  middle  of 
winter,  across  frozen  plains  and  mountains  covered 
with  snow.  Oudinot,  though  still  in  the  convalescent 
stage,  endured  the  journey  with  as  much  good- 
humour  as  energy,  and  arrived  at  Strasburg  un- 
certain what  his  next  command  would  be.  He  was 
not  left  long  in  doubt.  After  no  more  than  a  fort- 
night's respite,  the  Emperor  entrusted  him  with  a 
very  novel  mission,  half  military  and  half  civil, 
requiring  tact  and  prudence,  and  a  great  sense  of 
justice  ^nd  conciliation. 

By  a  clause  of  the  treaty  of  Schonbrunn,  Prussia 
ceded  the  Principality  of  Neuchatel  to  the  Emperor, 
who  presented  it  to  his  chief  of  staff,  Alexandre 
Berthier.  Oudinot  was  ordered  to  occupy  the 
country  in  the  name  of  the  latter.  He  set  out 
with  his  Grenadiers  at  the  end  of  winter,  and 
crossed  the  Jura  by  roads  so  bad  that  it  was 
necessary  to  clear  them  expressly  foi*  the  artillery, 
and  that  sometimes  as  many  as  twelve  horses  were 
not  sufficient  to  draw  his  carriage.  At  the  last 
halting-place  the  latter  broke  down:  he  had  to  mount 


MARSHAL  OUDINOr  41 

his  horse,  and  the  train  did  not  reach  the  Chaux  de 
Fonds  until  two  o'clock  in  the  mornine- 

The  next  day,  the  i8th  of  March  1806,  Oudinot 
made  his  state  entry  into  the  city  of  Neuchatel. 

The  population  of  the  country,  attached  to  their 
former  Princes  by  long  custom,  were  hostile  to  the 
new-comers.  The  authorities  observed  a  frigid  and 
dignified  attitude,  but  the  towns-folk,  alarmed  at 
this  military  display,  dreading  the  exactions  too 
common  among  soldiers,  and  jealous  of  their  cus- 
toms, laws  and  liberties,  showed  their  mistrust  by 
staying  at  home. 

The  General  had  suf^cient  penetration  to  grasp 
this  difficult  situation,  and  sufficient  nobility  of  heart 
to  respect  such  natural  sentiments.  He  reassured 
the  citizens  as  to  their  rights,  and  ofuaranteed  them 
against  any  arbitrary  demands  or  taxes  ;  he  left  the 
administration  of  the  police  and  of  justice  in  their 
hands  ;  and  he  succeeded  so  well  in  respecting  their 
lawful  susceptibilities  that  their  minds  were,  in  a 
very  short  time,  won  over  in  favour  of  the  French. 
One  fortunate  measure  of  tolerance  assured  the 
entire  sympathy  of  their  dispositions.  Napoleon,  in 
his  eternal  duel  with  England,  had  formally  pro- 
hibited the  purchase  of  English  merchandise  :  wher- 
ever any  British  goods  were  introduced,  they  were 


42  MEMOIRS  OF 

confiscated  and  ruthlessly  burnt,  and  this  meant  ruin 
to  the  trade  of  the  people  of  Neuchatel,  who  carried 
on  a  considerable  commerce  with  Great  Britain. 
Oudinot  listened  to  their  complaints  with  kindness, 
examined  them,  forwarded  them  to  the  Court  of  the 
Tuileries  through  the  intermediary  of  Hutin,  his 
aide-de-camp,  and  his  credit  was  great  enough  to 
move  his  master's  will  and  to  obtain  a  modification 
of  the  Imperial  rigour,  which  saved  a  number  of 
fortunes. 

The  gratitude  of  the  inhabitants  showed  itself  in 
his  election  to  the  honorary  freedom  of  the  city  of 
Neuchatel,  a  privilege  the  more  noteworthy  inas- 
much as  it  involved  the  abrogation  of  a  clause  in 
the  municipal  constitution  which  formally  denied  all 
rights  of  citizenship  to  members  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  religion,  to  which  Oudinot  belonged. 

He  left  Neuchatel  on  the  i8th  of  July,  loaded 
with  the  blessings  of  the  people.  His  stay  in  France 
was  a  short  one.  Napoleon  recalled  the  Grenadiers, 
who  had  been  dispersed,  restored  to  them  the  chief 
under  whom  they  had  so  greatly  distinguished  them- 
selves, and  joined  these  picked  troops  to  his  own 
Guards.  They  went  through  the  Prussian  campaign 
and  were  present  as  reserves  at  the  battle  of  Jena, 
but  without  taking  part  in  the  action. 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT 


43 


The  end  of  the  year  was  employed  in  the  boldest 
march  that  had  yet  been  attempted.  We  had  no 
longer  the  Prussians  only  against  us,  but  also  the 
Russians,  who  had  entered  into  an  alliance  with 
them.  At  the  commencement  of  1S07  we  were 
occupying  Poland,  and  Oudinot  was  placed  beyond 
Warsaw,  at  Ostrolenka,  on  the  bank  of  the  Narew, 
in  the  midst  of  an  inhospitable  country  bristling 
with  forests  and  swamped  in  marshes.  Napoleon 
had  given  him  this  dangerous  post  so  that  he  might 
cover  his  right  wing  while  he  himself  went  north 
and  attacked  Eastern  Prussia  and  endeavoured  to 
force  the  enemy  into  the  Baltic,  a  result  which  the 
sanguinary  battle  of  Eylau  was  far  from  producing. 

Almost  at  the  same  time,  Oudinot  was  warned  of 
an  approaching  attack  of  the  Russians,  who  were 
threatening  Warsaw  from  both  banks  of  the  Narew. 
His  constant,  restless  vigilance  saved  him  from  a 
surprise  ;  for,  on  going  his  rounds  of  inspection,  he 
found  his  sentries  grown  torpid  with  the  cold  and 
slumberino-  under  the  Russian  muskets.  The  action 
began  the  next  morning  (15  February)  at  daybreak 
with  a  very  lively  discharge  of  artillery,  followed  by 
an  engagement  between  the  enemy's  infantry,  which 
wanted  to  enter  Ostrolenka,  and  a  brigade  of 
Grenadiers    commanded    by    General    Ruffin,    who 


44  MEMOIRS  OF 

was  entrenched  behind  the  churchyard  firing 
grape-shot.  Campana's  brigade,  which  was  on  the 
other  bank  of  the  Narew,  crossed  the  bridge  to 
lend  assistance,  when  its  chief  was  cut  in  two  by  a 
cannon-ball.  In  spite  of  this  loss,  the  two  brigades 
were  able  to  join  forces  and  to  drive  out  the 
Russians,  who  were  already  penetrating  into  the 
streets  of  Ostrolenka.  Oudinot  and  Suchet  arrived 
in  person  ;  the  first  at  the  head  of  the  cavalry  led  a 
most  brilliant  charge,  which  completed  the  victory  : 
two  thousand  five  hundred  Russians  were  left  on 
the  field  of  battle,  and  we  took  two  flags  and 
seven  o^uns. 

This  long  and  arduous  Polish  campaign  seems, 
when  one  remembers  the  distance  of  its  basis  of 
operations,  the  nature  of  the  ground,  the  resistance 
of  the  enemy  and  the  difficulties  of  every  kind,  to 
have  been  as  it  were  a  prelude  to  the  fatal  Russian 
war. 

Meanwhile,  the  Emperor,  annoyed  at  not  having 
yet  put  an  end  to  the  war,  felt  the  need  of  reducing 
the  extent  of  his  lines  and  of  better  assuring  the 
safety  of  his  rear,  while  retaining  his  hold  upon 
Warsaw.  He  concentrated  his  army  upon  the 
Lower  Vistula,  recalled  Oudinot  to  Ostorode,  in 
Eastern  Prussia,  and  ordered  Marshal  Lefebvre  to 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  45 

lay  sieg-e  to  Dantzig.  The  place  was  strongly  forti- 
fied and  well  defended  ;  the  work  of  the  besiegers 
proceeded  slowly  ;  the  French  were  few  In  number. 
After  more  than  one  arduous  conflict,  which  led  to  no 
immediate  result,  Lefebvre  asked  for  reinforcements, 
and  Oudinot  was  sent  to  his  assistance  with  the 
Grenadiers.  He  arrived  on  the  3rd  of  May  and  set 
up  his  head-quarters  at  Langfurt. 

On  the  14th  the  Russians  attempted  a  sortie;  it 
was  little  more  than  an  alarm.  But  Oudinot,  always 
disdainful  of  danger,  once  more  played  the  common 
soldier  :  he  pushed  forward  with  his  officers,  and 
on  entering  a  little  wood,  he  suddenly  saw  a  Russian 
non-commissioned  officer  spring  from  behind  a  tree, 
and,  with  a  thrust  of  his  bayonet,  pierce  the  breast 
of  Colonel  Magnac  :  the  General  ran  up  to  him,  and 
killed  him  with  his  own  hand. 

The  next  day  he  had  the  singular  good  fortune  to 
capture  a  ship  with  his  foot-soldiers.  The  sloop 
Dauntless,  belonging  to  the  British  squadron  which 
was  cruising  in  the  Baltic,  was  trying  to  revictual 
Dantzig,  and  under  cover  of  a  thick  morning  fog, 
which  rendered  her  utterly  invisible,  she  Imprudently 
sailed  up  the  canal  which  joins  the  fortress  to  the 
sea.  But  the  sun  soon  scattered  the  fog,  the 
presence  of  the  vessel  was  revealed  to  all,  and  as  the 


46  MEMOIRS  OF 

wind  had  fallen,  she  stopped  short,  spreading  her 
useless  sails,  incapable  of  stirring,  and  as  easy  a 
prey  to  our  soldiers  as  a  stranded  whale  is  to  the 
fishermen.  After  a  few  volleys  of  musketry,  the 
Dattntless  hauled  down  her  flag. 

Meanwhile,  the  Russians  received  by  sea  the 
succour  which  they  had  so  long  been  awaiting,  and 
the  moment  had  come  for  them  to  make  a  supreme 
effort.  One  night,  at  three  o'clock,  they  issued 
from  the  fort  of  Weichslemunde,  to  the  number  of 
eight  thousand,  in  four  columns,  to  attempt  to  destroy 
our  works  and  pierce  our  lines.  They  attacked 
them  with  extraordinary  vigour  :  driven  back  with 
grape-shot,  and  pursued  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet, 
they  returned  stubbornly  to  the  redoubts,  only  to  be 
driven  back  again.  Their  obstinacy  was  such,  and 
so  ofreat  their  need  to  break  throuo^h  the  circle 
which  hemmed  them  in,  that  they  formed  them- 
selves again  for  a  last  effort  in  mass,  and  once  more 
hurled  themselves  upon  us.  Lannes  and  Oudinot 
saw  that  this  affair  was  to  decide  whether  the  city 
of  Dantzig  was  to  be  taken  or  delivered  :  they 
hurried  into  the  thick  of  the  fighting,  and  the 
irresistible  Oudinot,  charging  at  the  head  of  a 
battalion  of  Grenadiers,  forced  his  way  into  the 
enemy's    squares    like    a    wedge.        A    scrimmage 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  4^ 

ensued  ;  he  pushed  forward  ;  his  horse  was  killed 
under  him  by  a  bullet ;  his  soldiers,  seeing-  him  fall, 
took  alarm  ;  but  he  sprang  up  again,  all  shouted, 
"  Hurrah  for  the  General  !  "  while  he,  never  dis- 
concerted, continued  to  lead  them  on  foot.  They 
gained  ground  little  by  little.  The  Russians, 
astonished,  gave  way,  and  finally  retreated,  pricked 
on  by  our  bayonets,  to  the  walls  of  the  fort  of 
Weichslemunde,  where  they  enclosed  themselves, 
and  capitulated  a  few  days  later.  On  the  26th  of 
May,  the  French  army  was  mistress  of  Dantzig. 

Oudinot  waited  for  a  fortnight  at  Marienburg,  and 
then  received  orders  to  march  rapidly  eastwards,  in 
order  to  catch  up  the  Russians,  who,  after  a  lively 
attack  and  an  unforeseen  resistance,  were  retreating 
in  good  order  with  a  view  to  saving  Konigsberg. 
The  advance-guard,  consisting  of  ten  thousand  men, 
was  commanded  by  Marshal  Lannes  and  himself. 
On  the  13th  of  June,  in  the  evening,  they  arrived 
at  Donnau  and  perceived  that  they  were  almost  in 
contact  with  the  whole  of  the  hostile  army,  whose 
bivouac  fires  could  be  seen  three  leagues  away  in 
the  direction  of  the  village  of  Friedland  on  the 
river  Alle.  Oudinot  made  all  the  arrangements  to 
place  his  men  to  advantage,  did  not  return  to  his 
quarters  until  eleven  o'clock,  ordered  his  horse  for 


48  MEMOIRS  OF 

two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  threw  himself  in 
full  uniform  on  his  bed. 

At  two  o'clock  he  was  in  the  saddle,  under  a  sky 
as  bright  as  it  usually  is  in  countries  of  high  latitude, 
and  recognized  the  enemy's  strong  position.  To 
set  a  handful  of  men  against  the  whole  Russian 
army  with  any  hope  of  victory  was  not  to  be 
thought  of ;  but  it  was  possible  to  occupy  the 
village  of  Posthenen,  the  little  wood  of  Sortlack, 
and  the  heights  commanding  the  AUe,  in  such  a 
way  as  to  bar  the  road  to  Konigsberg.  They 
would  thus  compel  the  Russians  to  await  the  arrival 
of  the  French  army,  and  then  to  give  battle  with 
a  river  at  their  backs,  a  very  disadvantageous 
position. 

The  firing  began  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and 
was  vigorously  kept  up  until  seven.  The  advance- 
guard  was  exhausting  itself  in  this  unequal  conflict, 
when  at  that  moment  Marshal  Mortier  appeared 
with  the  divisions  commanded  by  Nansouty,  Dupas 
and  Verdier,  bringing  up  the  total  of  the  French  to 
twenty-six  thousand  men :  not  many  to  oppose 
to  seventy  -  five  thousand  !  But  the  ground 
was  favourable,  and  it  was  defended  by  heroes. 
They  held  firm  until  noon,  when  Napoleon  ap- 
peared  with    the    main    body    of    his    army.       His 


MARSHAL  OUDJNOT  49 

officers  hastened  to  him.  Oudinot,  his  uniform 
riddled  with  bullets  and  his  horse  dripping  with 
blood,  was  eager  to  complete  what  he  had  so  bril- 
liantly undertaken  : 

"  Quick,  Sire,"  he  said  ;  "  my  Grenadiers  can  hold 
out  no  lono^er :  but  crive  me  reinforcements,  and  I'll 
pitch  all  the  Russians  into  the  water." 

They  were  in  full  force.  Napoleon  wished  the 
troops  to  have  a  moment's  respite,  of  which  they 
stood  in  Qrreat  need  after  a  forced  march  and  nine 
hours'  fighting ;  and  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
the  battle  recommenced.  At  six  o'clock  the  village 
of  Friedland  was  carried,  all  in  flames  ;  the  bridges 
over  the  Alle  were  destroyed,  and  the  Russians 
drowned  in  attempting  to  cross  the  river  at  the 
fords  or  in  spots  filled  up  with  accumulations  of 
carriages,  waggons,  men  and  horses.  The  last  shot 
was  fired  at  midnight. 

Oudinot  was  not  able  to  take  a  direct  part  in  this 
second  half  of  the  battle,  in  spite  of  his  expressed 
desire.  The  Emperor  ordered  that  his  Grenadiers, 
who  were  half  destroyed,  should  remain  in  the 
second  line  :  they  had  done  enough  for  one  day, 
inasmuch  as  their  invincible  tenacity  and  courage 
had  kept  the  Russians  at  bay  and  made  the  great 
decisive   action  possible.      None  the  less,  even   in 


50  MEMOIRS  OF 

the  second  line,  they  were  very  much  exposed  and 
suffered  severely  from  the  effects  of  the  artillery. 
Oudinot's  horse  had  its  leg  broken,  and  his  aide-de- 
camp Hutin,  by  his  side,  had  his  face  grazed  so 
closely  by  a  cannon-ball  that  he  lost  his  breath, 
choked,  and  fell  down  dead. 

Peace  was  signed  at  Tilsit  on  the  7th  of  July, 
and  Oudinot  went  to  take  up  his  quarters  at  Dantzig. 
He  divided  his  time  between  the  cares  of  his  army 
and  the  society  of  his  fellow-officers,  and  led  a  quiet 
and  often  festive  existence,  o-ivinQr  and  attendingr 
very  gay  parties.  These  included  Marshals  Soult, 
Mortier  and  others,  like  the  grave  Davout ;  and 
together,  satiated  with  combats  of  ever-increasing 
grandeur  and  horror,  they  forgot  the  spectacles  of 
death  that  they  had  lately  witnessed,  and  relaxed 
their  minds  with  youthful  follies  and  subalterns' 
diversions ;  in  the  evenings  they  would  amuse 
themselves,  in  the  magnificent  apartments  in 
which  they  gave  their  receptions,  in  putting  out 
the  candles  with  pistol-bullets.  Fortunately  the 
damage  done  was  always  paid  for  with  magnificent 
generosity. 

But  fate,  which  seemed  to  bear  a  grudge  against 
Oudinot's  body,  prevented  him  from  enjoying  a  long 
repose.     On  the  12th  of  December,  as  he  returned 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  51 

from  Inspecting  one  of  the  forts,  he  set  his  horse  to 
jump  a  ravine  that  barred  the  way ;  but  the  beast 
missed  its  footing  and  fell  upon  its  side,  crushing  its 
rider  and  breaking  his  risrht  leof.  The  General 
was  carried  home  on  a  litter,  and  said  to  the 
surgeon,  thinking  of  the  similar  accident  which  had 
interfered  with  his  career  at  Treves  twelve  years 
before  : 

"  Get  it  over  quickly  :  this  is  not  the  first  time 
this  has  happened  to  me," 

He  was  not  able  to  leave  until  March  1808,  and, 
even  then,  he  was  not  fully  restored  to  health.  The 
journey  home  to  Bar-le-Duc  was  no  easy  one  for  a 
cripple  unable  to  move  without  crutches.  But  it 
was  on  his  return  that  he  first  made  the  acquaint- 
ance of  a  girl  of  sixteen.  Mile,  Eugenie  de  Coucy, 
who  was  destined,  four  years  later,  Oudinot  being 
then  a  widower,  to  become  his  wife.  Very  many 
years  after,  when  she  in  her  turn  had  become  a 
widow,  she  occupied  her  old  age  in  collecting  for 
her  children  the  interesting  souvenirs  from  which 
this  work  is  mainly  drawn.  The  following  extract 
contains  a  sketch  of  country  life  at  the  time  of  the 
Revolution  and  the  Empire,  and  tells  us  of  Mile,  de 
Coucy  and  of  her  family,  and  of  her  first  meeting 
with  Oudinot. 


52  MEMOIRS  OF 

My  children,  you  urge  me  to  write  down  my  life,  although 
I  have  often  told  you  the  details  of  it,  and  what  I  have  not 
revealed  to  you  has  been  the  secret  of  others. 

To  begin  at  the  beginning,  I  will  remind  you  that 
my  father  was  a  captain  in  the  Artois  Regiment  and  a 
Knight  of  St.  Louis.  He  was  the  eldest  of  ten  children  : 
two  of  his  brothers  served  in  the  same  regiment  as  himself; 
a  third  was  grand  vicar  to  the  Bishop  of  Agde  ;  and  as 
to  his  sisters,  one  was  a  canoness,  one  a  nun,  and  four 
others  lived  together  under  the  paternal  roof.  None  of 
them  was  married. 

My  grandfather  de  Coucy  and  his  wife,  who  was  Mile. 
de  Conyngham,  of  a  Scotch  family,  were  still  alive  at  the 
time  at  which  I  commence  my  narrative.  They  were 
assisted  in  the  cares  and  expenses  resulting  from  so  large 
a  family  by  the  Miles,  de  Coucy,  my  grandfather's  elder 
sisters,  who  lived  at  Hancourt,  two  leagues  from  the  manor 
house  at  Lentilles. 

This  patriarchal  family  lived  in  perfect  harmony.  The 
greater  part  of  the  year  was  spent  both  at  Lentilles  and 
Hancourt  in  a  life  of  agriculture  and  retirement ;  but  when 
the  time  of  furlough  came,  and  the  three  young  officers 
and  the  abbe,  who  was  perhaps  the  noisiest  of  the  four 
brothers,  came  home,  everything  grew  lively  and  assumed 
its  most  festive  air.  Then  our  country  neighbours,  who 
all  led  a  more  or  less  similar  existence,  met  together  in 
joyful  and  crowded  gatherings  :  for  in  those  days  families 
were  immense  ;  one  saw  ten  or  a  dozen  children  at  every 
table ;  and  if  all  did  not  succeed  in  attaining  an  equally 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  53 

splendid  position,  at  least  they  were  all  able  to  live,  and 
neither  they  nor  their  parents  possessed  that  distrust  of 
Providence,  that  dread  of  the  future,  which  nowadays  so 
frequently  embitters  all  family  happiness. 

Among-  the  poor  nobility  of  the  country,  the  girls  thought 
it  quite  natural  that  they  should  remain  unmarried,  in  order 
not  to  encroach  for  their  dowries  upon  the  fortune  which 
it  was  preferred  to  save  for  the  eldest  of  the  boys. 

My  father  was  the  handsomest  of  the  four  brothers.  His 
education  was  stopped  at  thirteen,  the  age  at  which  he 
entered  the  service  under  the  patronage  of  the  three 
Conynghams,  his  uncles,  who  were  all  officers  in  the 
Artois  Regiment.  His  studies  naturally  suffered  from 
this  interruption  ;  but  he  continued  to  work  of  his  own 
accord,  and  without  attaining  the  pitch  to  which  a  classical 
education  might  have  brought  him,  he  nevertheless  achieved 
a  facility  of  style  in  speaking  and  writing  which  in  those 
days  was  a  rare  accomplishment. 

When  he  was  thirty  years  old,  my  father  met  my  mother, 
then  Mile,  de  Merguay  and  eighteen  years  of  age,  at  Luxeuil, 
where  he  had  gone  to  take  the  waters.  She  was  pale  and  fair, 
and  graceful  and  sweet  as  an  angel ;  and  she  was  there  with 
her  father,  in  mourning  for  Mme.  de  Mer^uay.  The  little 
estate  from  which  they  took  their  name  lay  at  three  leagues 
from  Luxeuil,  and  the  rumour  soon  spread  that  the  hand- 
some officer  had  offered  his  hand  to  the  charming  orphan. 
The  arrangements  were  promptly  made,  the  marriage  took 
place  shortly  after,  and  my  father  took  up  his  residence 
with  his  wife  and   father-in-law   at  the  latter's  estate  of 


54 


MEMOIRS  OF 


Merguay  in  Franche-Comte.  They  received  visits  from  the 
brothers  and  sisters,  visits  which  they  returned  each  year 
in  Champagne.  The  peace  seemed  lasting,  and  my  father 
retired  from  the  army  three  years  after  his  marriage. 

The  birth  of  my  sister  was  followed  in  a  few  years  by 
that  of  my  elder  brother,  Maximilien,  a  charming  child, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  seven.  This  was  their  first  deep 
sorrow.  My  grand-parents  in  Champagne  died  next,  and 
soon  the  first  rumblings  of  the  thunder  of  the  Revolution 
were  heard.  My  father  foresaw  the  storm  which  was  about 
to  burst  forth  ;  but  he  made  up  his  mind  at  once  to  face  it 
on  the  spot,  and  refused  to  emigrate.  I  was  born  in  the 
meanwhile.  They  had  hoped  for  a  boy  and  I  was  badly 
received,  although  idolized  later,  wdiether  to  atone  for 
this  first  bad  welcome,  or  from  any  other  reason,  I 
know  not. 

Before  long  my  father  was  denounced  as  a  suspect  by 
the  villagers  whom  he  had  loaded  with  kindness,  and  to- 
gether with  my  mother  and  sister,  who  was  then  fourteen, 
he  was  taken  on  foot,  between  four  Fusiliers,  to  Faverney, 
a  neighbouring  market  town,  where  all  three  were  locked 
up  in  an  old  convent  that  did  duty  for  a  prison.  Soon, 
however,  it  was  considered  that  the  company  of  his  family 
was  too  pleasant  for  him,  and  he  was  sent  alone  to  Gray, 
while  my  mother  and  sister  were  transferred  to  Vesoul. 

I  was  two  years  and  a  half  old,  and  was  also  imprisoned. 
An  order  was  issued  for  the  arrest  of  my  small  person,  and 
I  was  locked  up  with  my  mother,  who  was  in  despair  at 
seeing  me  thus  deprived  of  the  air  which  is  the  life  of 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  55 

children.  Suddenly  we  learnt  that  Robespierre  the  Younger 
was  in  our  part  of  the  country,  in  his  quality  as  people's 
representative.  With  great  difficulty  leave  was  obtained 
from  the  warders  for  me  to  go  out  for  one  morning.  My 
nurse  Rosalie,  who,  from  devotion  to  the  family,  had  joined 
the  popular  side,  had  been  left  her  liberty;  she  watched  over 
our  interests  outside  the  prison,  and  came  to  take  me  from 
the  arms  of  the  horrible  men  who  boasted  in  the  title  ot 
sans-cidlotes.  I  remember  they  wore  caps  made  of  foxes' 
skins.  He  who  handed  me  to  my  nurse  had  left  the  beast's 
long  bush  hanging  to  his,  and  it  swung  to  and  fro,  fol- 
lowing all  his  movements,  a  sight  which  filled  me  with 
frightful  terror.  I  cried,  but  Rosalie,  who  had  made  all 
her  plans,  lectured  me  on  what  I  was  to  do  ;  and  placing 
a  paper  in  my  hand,  she  took  me  to  Robespierre. 

I  see  him  now.  It  was  morning,  and  he  was  not  yet  up, 
and  was  giving  audience  to  a  host  of  people  in  bed.  My 
little  look  of  fright  caught  his  attention. 

"  Who  is  that  child  }  "  he  asked. 

My  nurse  stepped  forward  : 

"  Citizen  representative,  she  is  the  daughter  of  Citizen 
Coucy  ;  her  parents  .  .  ." 

"Ah,  I  see,  nobles.  Put  the  child  down  there,"  pointing 
to  his  bed. 

I  clung  to  Rosalie,  uttering  terrible  screams,  while  the 
people's  representative  ran  his  eyes  over  my  petition.  He 
then  sent  for  some  sweets  and  kissed  me. 

"  Your  beard  hurts,"  I  exclaimed,  struggling  to  get 
away. 


56  MEMOIRS  OF 

This  made  him  laugh,  and  he  said,  "You  tell  me  she  is 
only  two  years  and  six  months,  and  they  issued  a  warrant 
for  her  arrest  ?  Absurd  !  It  is  enough  to  make  the 
Government  ridiculous !  Make  out  an  order,"  turning 
to  his  secretary,  "  for  her  to  be  set  at  liberty  at  once." 

"  And  her  parents  ?  "  asked  Rosalie. 

"Ah,  that  is  beyond  my  power." 

Nevertheless  he  uttered  his  refusal  kindly.  My  nurse, 
seeing  there  was  no  more  to  be  done,  took  me  back  to  my 
mother,  who  had  not  hoped  for  any  great  result  from  this 
step  for  herself  or  my  father,  but  who  felt  at  least  some 
relief  at  seeing  me  leave  the  dark,  damp  walls  of  the  prison, 
in  which  her  health  and  my  sister's  were  already  under- 
going a  visible  change.  Rosalie  took  me  to  Mer^uay, 
where  I  found  my  grandfather,  who,  too  old  to  be  moved 
from  home,  was  watched  night  and  day  by  twenty  volunteers 
fed  and  lodged  at  his  expense. 

At  last,  thanks  to  the  efforts  of  my  father's  youngest 
brother,  married  to  a  daughter  of  the  Comte  d'Allegrin, 
the  Aunt  Clotilde  whose  memory  I  cherish  and  revere  with 
a  sort  of  worship,  my  father  obtained  his  release  from  prison 
in  1794,  on  the  9  Therm idor,  together  with  my  mother 
and  sister. 

It  was  high  time  for  my  father :  his  moral  agony  had 
become  intolerable,  and  he  never  completely  recovered 
from  the  trial.  Nor,  for  that  matter,  was  this  the  end  of 
it,  for  many  sad  years  followed  upon  the  Terror  itself. 
Not  long  after  my  parents'  return  to  Mercuay,  my  grand- 
father, the  good  ex-lord  of  the  manor,  died.     He  was  very 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  57 

old,  but  until  the  Revolution  he  was  wonderfully  hale. 
Having  served  in  the  Hussars,  he  had  retained  in  his  old 
age  the  habits  peculiar,  they  say,  to  that  branch  of  the 
service.  He  loved  noise,  movement,  gaiety  ;  he  sang  at 
table,  and  composed  joyous  couplets  which  lingered  long 
in  the  memory  of  my  relations  in  Champagne.  I  still  have 
a  clear  remembrance  of  his  tall  figure  and  his  dress,  which 
was  always  green. 

The  birth  of  my  brother  Gustave  was  an  immense  con- 
solation to  my  parents  ;  but  it  was  followed,  alas  !  in  less 
than  ten  months  by  the  death  of  my  dear,  noble  father. 
He  set  out  one  morning  for  Vesoul.  I  see  him  now,  dressed 
in  a  coat  of  dark  cloth,  with  a  pale  blue  satin  waistcoat, 
embroidered  with  white  stars.  He  was  going  to  the  elec- 
tions to  try  and  carry  the  return  of  Pichegru  for  the  Haute- 
Saone.  I  never  saw  him  again  !  Four  days  after  his 
departure,  my  mother  was  sent  for,  then  Rosalie,  and  at 
last  my  sister  :  it  was  to  nurse  him  in  an  inflammatory 
fever  which  carried  him  off  in  eight  days,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-three. 

It  was  decided  to  let  Mer^uay,  where  my  mother  could 
not  bear  to  remain,  and  we  went  to  Champagne  to  join 
my  father's  family.  Our  departure  took  place  in  the 
spring  of  1799.  My  mother  was  never  to  see  her  birth- 
place again. 

Before  describing  Lentilles  to  you,  where  we  made  our 
first  stay,  let  me  tell  you  who  were  awaiting  us  there. 

My  Aunt  de  Coucy  was  plain-featured  ;  but  her  stature, 
which  was  tall  and  well-shaped,  and  her  wont  of  governing 


58  MEMOIRS  OF 

all  around  her  since  her  fifteenth  year,  had  combined  to 
give  her  the  grand  air.  She  had  a  generous  and  devoted 
heart,  a  playful  humour,  and  a  great  love  of  amusement. 
Having  voluntarily  spent  her  youth  in  caring  for  her 
mother  and  the  long  array  of  brothers  and  sisters  who 
came  after  her  (there  were  twelve  of  them,  for  two  of  whom 
I  have  not  spoken  died  in  their  cradles),  the  result  of  this 
life  of  self-abnegation  was  that,  in  her  maturer  years,  my 
aunt,  relieved  of  the  duties  v.'hich  she  had  so  conscientiously 
fulfilled,  was  taken  with  the  desire  to  enjoy  herself;  but  the 
modesty  of  her  fortune,  not  to  mention  the  Revolution,  con- 
stantly stood  in  her  way.  What  was  the  upshot  of  it  all .? 
She  was  content  to  witness  the  joys  of  her  fellow-creatures, 
and  to  make  them  her  own. 

My  uncle  the  abbe  was  by  nature  lively,  hot-headed,  and 
brave  to  temerity:  he  had  only  become  a  priest  because 
he  was  the  youngest  of  the  family.  Nevertheless,  while 
recognizing  the  difficulties  of  his  task,  my  uncle  had  nobly 
fulfilled  them,  first  from  a  sense  of  honour,  and  later  from 
an  enlightened  and  sincere  feeling  of  religion. 

Miles,  de  Louvrigny  and  de  Velly  were  weak  and  deli- 
cate, and  slightly  deformed.  You  will  be  less  surprised  at 
the  unfortunate  malformation  of  the  two  sisters,  when  I 
tell  you  that  at  that  time  it  was  the  custom  to  swathe  new- 
born children  as  tightly  as  mummies. 

My  uncle  the  abbe  was  my  godfather  and  Louvrigny  my 
godmother.  This  title,  which  is  nowadays  accepted  so 
lightly  that  its  obligations  are  never  fulfilled,  was  in  the 
old  days  taken  in  its  true  acceptance,  and  was  considered 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  59 

what  it  really  is,  a  religious  engagement.  Brother  and 
sister  had  therefore  vowed  beforehand  to  take  a  special 
interest  in  me,  without  permitting  this  to  diminish  that 
which  they  bore  to  the  other  children  of  their  dear  brother. 

Louvrigny  and  Velly,  who  were  known  among  the 
family  as  the  two  inseparables,  both  because  of  their 
mutual  sympathy  and  the  similarity  of  their  figures, 
seemed  to  have  united  themselves  in  a  common  destiny. 
To  attend  to  their  department  in  the  inner  working  of 
the  house,  to  love  and  work  for  their  family,  was  the 
employment  of  their  lives.  As  the  youngest,  they  were 
generally  left  at  home,  where  their  delicate  health  would 
in  any  case  have  frequently  retained  them.  Louvrigny 
had  that  sparkling  natural  wit  and  that  piquant  pertinency 
which  became  the  charm  of  the  fireside  by  the  manner  in 
which  she  availed  herself  of  the  gift,  always  pleasing,  never 
wounding  any.  Velly,  gentle  and  calm,  was  every  one's 
refiigiiim  peccatonun  ;  her  angelic  character  carried  peace 
wherever  she  went.  She  had  a  charming  head  ;  when  I 
knew  her,  the  remains  of  her  beauty  were  her  almond- 
shaped  eyes,  of  a  velvety  gray,  whose  soft  expression  still 
haunts  me. 

The  old  family  house  occupied  one  side  of  a  great  square 
court-yard,  formed  on  the  three  other  sides  by  rural  build- 
ings. Two  breaks  in  the  masonry  gave  a  glimpse  of  a 
fine  orchard.  So  much  space  was  there  in  the  grass- 
carpeted  court-yard,  so  green  was  it,  and  so  animated  by 
the  presence  of  an  enormous  number  of  birds  and  poultry 
of  all  kinds,  that  its  appearance  was  never  gloomy. 


6o  MEMOIRS  OF 

As  in  almost  all  the  houses  of  that  time  and  of  that 
part  of  the  country,  a  long  covered  verandah  ran  before 
the  house,  where  we  often  sat.  One  had  to  descend  a 
step  in  order  to  enter  the  ground-floor,  which  was  paved 
with  tiles ;  this  will  give  you  an  idea  of  the  dannpness  of 
the  place.  I  feel  cold  when  I  think  of  it  now ;  but  then 
all  seemed  delightful  to  me,  not  excluding  the  branch  of 
the  climbing  rose-tree,  which  one  day  audaciously  pierced 
the  wall  of  my  bed-room  and  went  on  growing  finely 
inside.  Do  not  think  that  this  suggested  to  any  one  the 
idea  of  repairs.  No,  nothing  was  ever  changed  :  what 
had  held  out  last  year  would  last  the  next,  they  said.  People 
did  not  then  spend  money  on  house-comfort.  Nevertheless, 
the  table  was  always  well  and  amply  supplied  :  it  was  shared 
with  friends,  relations  and  neighbours,  who  in  their  turn 
reciprocated  the  hospitality  received. 

My  uncle  the  abbe  loved  the  smaller  comforts  of  life. 
He  had  kept  good  cheer  upon  the  twelve  thousand  francs 
of  his  grand-vicariate,  and  my  aunts  were  a  little  afraid  of 
the  daintiness  of  his  palate.  Whenever  they  felt  uncertain 
of  a  dish,  they  would  avoid  his  look,  especially  my  Aunt 
de  Coucy,  who  was  responsible,  since  the  kitchen  was  her 
special  charge.  On  those  occasions  her  brother  would 
look  at  her  fixedly,  without  saying  a  word.  Vainly  she 
turned  her  head,  talked  to  her  neighbours  on  the  left  and 
the  right :  that  fixed  eye  fascinated  her.  Willy-nilly,  she 
was  bound  to  meet  it ;  and  then,  driven  to  bay,  she  would 
pluck  up  courage  and  haughtily  ask  him  why  he  stared  at 
her  so.     Sometimes  the  matter  ended  in  jest ;  sometimes 


MARSHAL  OUDIKOT  6r 

there  would  be  a  few  words :  but  these  Httle  clouds  soon 
passed  away. 

To  come  to  my  aunt  the  canoness  :  after  her  chapter 
had  been  broken  up,  she  had  gone  to  live  at  Vitry-le- 
Francois.  It  was  in  that  town  that  my  mother,  when 
coming  to  Champagne,  had  resolved  to  take  up  her 
abode. 

To  complete  the  picture  of  the  family,  I  will  mention 
the  inmates  of  Hancourt.  Of  my  uncle  and  my  Aunt 
Clotilde  I  have  already  spoken  :  three  children  had  since 
come  to  add  to  their  happiness.  Our  dear  Enguerrand 
was  the  eldest.  Hancourt  was  a  charming  little  English 
farm,  a  model  of  care  and  cleanliness.  We  stayed  there  a 
few  weeks  before  finally  installing  ourselves  at  Vitry,  where 
we  had  a  small  house  near  that  of  my  aunt.  Our  days 
were  spent  in  retirement,  in  household  cares,  reading, 
lessons  and  work,  and  in  the  evenings  we  would  walk  out 
to  take  the  air.  There  was  perhaps  no  place  in  the  world 
where  so  little  politics  was  talked  as  at  Vitry.  My 
mother,  sister  and  aunt,  who  all  held  definite  opinions, 
contented  themselves  with  meeting  their  intimates  from 
time  to  time  in  order  to  deplore  the  criminal  days  of  the 
Revolution,  or  to  celebrate  behind  closed  doors  the  old 
solemnities  of  the  Monarchy  ;  but  all  happened  without 
noise  or  bravado  in  this  little  circle  of  friends,  who  were 
none  the  less  welcome  in  the  other  drawing-rooms  which 
they  visited. 

Thus  passed  sweetly  the  first  few  years  of  our  residence 
in  Champagne.    Meantime,  General  Bonaparte  had  returned 


62  MEMOIRS  OF 

from  Egypt  to  take  up  the  command  of  the  army  of  Italy. 
Domestic  tranquillity  was  being  gradually  re-established  in 
France;  the  churches  were  re-opened  for  public  worship;  the 
priests  were  allowed  to  show  themselves  once  more,  and 
religion  was  freely  practised  ;  the  emigrants  were  returning  ; 
and  there  were  signs  on  every  side  that  a  strong  hand  had 
seized  the  reins  of  public  affairs.  This  general  improve- 
ment was  especially  appreciated  by  those  who  had  been 
the  most  severely  tried  by  the  Terror.  Nevertheless,  the 
misfortunes  were  still  too  recent,  the  wounds  too  fresh, 
for  it  to  be  possible  to  live  without  hatred  of  the  past  and 
distrust  of  the  future. 

I  have  not  yet  mentioned  one  who  is  well  known  to  you 
and  who  unwittingly  played  a  part  in  my  destiny  :  I  mean 
M.  Eugene  de  Villers.  His  father  was  killed  at  the  Tuile- 
ries  on  the  loth  of  August;  his  mother,  an  aunt  of  my 
Aunt  Clotilde's,  was  sent  to  prison  at  Bar-le-Duc,  where  the 
family  lived.  The  poor  young  man,  on  the  point  of 
becoming  an  orphan  and  but  little  endowed  with  fortune, 
was  welcomed  at  Hancourt  and  treated  as  a  son.  His 
natural  good  qualities  and  his  misfortunes  interested  all  my 
relations,  who  received  him  with  affection.  Eventually  his 
mother  escaped  the  scaffold,  and,  when  order  was  re-estab- 
lished, she  wished  her  son  to  take  service  in  the  army, 
whose  constantly  increasing  glory  attracted  even  those  who 
had  most  suffered.  Mme,  de  Villers  presented  her  son  to 
the  natural  patron  of  her  native  town,  General  Oudinot ; 
and  after  a  campaign  in  which  he  bore  himself  bravely,  the 
young  man  returned  with  his  epaulets.     Thenceforward  he 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  63 

applied  himself  with  heart  and  soul  to  his  profession,  and 
always  remained  an  enthusiastic  supporter  of  the  man  who 
had  assisted  him  to  enter  it. 

I  think  I  have  told  you  enough  to  give  you  a  definite 
idea  of  the  political  opinions  which  my  family  at  that  time 
entertained.  Bonaparte  had  deceived  the  hopes  which  a 
few  Royalists  (notwithstanding  the  13  Vendemiaire)  had 
formed  of  him.  A  fraction  of  the  party  had  persisted  in 
regarding  him  as  the  restorer  of  the  Royal  Family  of  the 
Bourbons ;  and  this  may  have  been  one  of  the  reasons 
which  prompted  the  murder  of  which  M.  le  Due  d'Enghien 
was  the  victim,  since  this  act  could  leave  no  more  doubts 
as  to  ihe  feelings  of  the  First  Consul  towards  the  Bourbons. 
Thenceforth  the  fraction  of  which  I  speak  remained  in 
opposition  to  him  ;  it  was  a  very  small  minority,  but  my 
family  formed  part  of  it,  and  invariably  kept  up  its  remem- 
brances and  its  regrets. 

We  had  just  lost  my  Aunt  de  Louvrigny,  and  were  living 
in  greater  seclusion  than  ever,  less  interested  than  at  any 
time  in  outside  matters,  when  M.  de  Villers  returned  from 
his  first  campaign.  He  was  full  of  the  name  of  Oudinot, 
representing  its  owner  as  a  model  of  bravery  in  battle 
and  generosity  after  victory  ;  and  he  succeeded  in  arous- 
ing the  interest  of  my  relatives,  who  had  heard  speak 
of  the  magnanimity  of  this  commander,  admired  by  all. 
As  for  me,  my  children,  I  was  then  a  little  girl  of  eight  or 
ten  years  of  age,  and  I  felt  my  heart  beat  at  the  tale  of  all 
the  battles  of  those  times.  Strange  contrast !  I  was  born  a 
timid  creature,  as  you  know,  and  I  loved  to  hear  of  fighting 


64  MEMOIRS  OF 

I  had  always  liked  bustle  !  In  history,  as  in  my  story- 
books, what  I  most  loved  was  military  subjects,  and  I 
listened  with  all  my  ears  to  our  excellent  M.  de  Villers  ;  so 
that  you  see  he  had  something  to  do  with  the  determination 
which  ten  years  later  decided  my  fate.  When  I  told  him 
this  one  day,  he  was  delighted.  But  for  the  present  no 
idea  of  glory,  you  can  well  believe,  came  to  trouble  the 
peace  of  my  days. 

On  the  5th  of  June  1805,  my  sister  was  married  to  the 
Vicomte  de  la  Gueriviere,  younger  son  of  an  old  Poitou 
family,  who,  on  attaining  the  requisite  age,  had  been 
received  into  the  Order  of  Malta.  Under  M.  d'Estaings 
he  went  through  the  War  of  Independence  of  the  United 
States.  He  was  subsequently  appointed  Colonel  of  the 
Chasseurs  of  the  Order  of  Malta,  and  was  on  that  island 
during  the  French  Revolution.  He  defended  the  fort  of 
Rohan  against  General  Dessaix,  and  with  his  small  force  was 
still  resisting  while  the  Grand  Master,  prompted  either  by 
weakness  or  treachery,  was  signing  a  pitiful  capitulation  on 
board  the  Orient.  It  was  not  until  after  receiving  this 
official  news  that  M.  de  la  Gueriviere  capitulated  in  his 
turn  ;  but  he  marched  out  from  the  fort  with  the  full 
honours  of  war,  at  the  head  of  his  garrison,  which  con- 
sisted of  only  eighty  men. 

He  understood  that  thenceforth  all  was  over  for  Malta, 
and  returned  broken-hearted  to  France  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
six,  and  possessed  of  no  fortune.  He  obtained  from  the 
Pope  a  release  from  his  vows,  and  resolved  to  enter  the 
Department  of   Finance,  in  which  determination  he  was 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  65 

assisted  by  his  friend  M.  Buffault,  at  that  time  receiver- 
general  at  Bar-le-Duc. 

My  mother  and  I  stayed  a  month  at  Bar-Ic-Duc  after  the 
marriage.  The  wedding-repasts  succeeded  one  another 
without  interruption  ;  they  seemed  long  to  me,  but  nothing 
ever  wearied  me.  At  that  time  it  was  the  habit  to  sing  at 
table,  each  in  the  place  where  he  sat,  without  accompani- 
ment. 

One  of  the  most  solemn  entertainments  was  a  dinner 
given  by  M.  Leclerc,  the  Prefect  of  the  Meuse.  His  honest 
reputation  and  appearance  and  his  distinguished  manners 
had  won  my  mother's  sympathy.  He  was  the  first  im- 
portant functionary  with  whom  she  had  come  into  contact 
since  the  Empire.  We  kept  up  pleasant  relations  with  him 
both  before  and  after  my  marriage.  Although  he  had  been 
created  a  count  of  the  Empire,  the  Prefect  of  the  Meuse 
was  nevertheless  regarded  at  Bar  as  a  third-class  person- 
age, and  kept  in  a  sort  of  disgrace.  He  was  brother  to  the 
Princesse  d'Eckmiihl  and  brother-in-law  to  the  Princesse 
Borghese,  the  widow  of  General  Leclerc,  and  consequently 
was  closely  connected  with  the  Court ;  but  he  was  not  in 
the  least  ambitious,  and  asked  nothing  better  than  to  live 
on  the  same  level  as  his  neighbours.  Nevertheless  he 
remained  on  friendly  terms  with  the  Emperor's  charming 
sister. 

He  used  to  entertain  us  by  relating  a  proof  of  her 
remembrance  which  she  had  recently  given  him.  She  was 
travelling  to  Germany,  and  one  fine  morning  a  courier  in 
her  livery  came  knocking  at  the  Prefect's  house.     He  had 


66  MEMOIRS  OF 

come  to  announce  the  arrival,  he  said,  of  Her  Imperial 
Highness,  who  would  ask  him  to  giv^e  her  some  breakfast ; 
nothing  simpler  so  far  ;  but  the  messenger  was  instructed 
moreover  to  order  that,  when  she  stepped  out  of  her  carriage, 
a  milk  bath  should  be  in  readiness  for  her,  to  be  followed 
by  a  shower-bath  of  the  same  liquid. 

It  was  not  an  easy  thing  to  do,  in  a  small  town  ;  never- 
theless, means  must  be  found.  The  Prefect  despatched  to 
the  neighbouring  villages  the  whole  force  of  his  Depart- 
mental Guard.  Each  soldier  brought  back  his  can  of  milk, 
and  they  were  beginning  to  heat  it  when  the  fair  traveller 
arrived. 

"  Carry  me  as  you  used  to  do,  dear  little  brother," 
said  she ;  and  the  Prefect  resumed  his  former  functions, 
and  set  the  Princess  down  in  the  handsomest  room  in  the 
house. 

"  And  my  bath  }  "  she  asked,  in  a  wheedling  voice. 

"  It  is  ready  for  you." 

"And  my  shower-bath?" 

"  Ah,  that  was  more  difficult,  we  have  no  apparatus 
for  it." 

"  Have  some  holes  pierced  in  the  ceiling  just  over  the 
place  where  my  bath  will  stand  when  it  is  brought  in. 
Forgive  the  trouble,  dear  little  brother,  but  it  is  necessary 
for  my  health," 

They  did  the  best  they  could,  and  the  result  was  that 
the  Prefect  received  many  gracious  adieux,  the  furniture 
was  splashed  with  milk-stains,  and  the  room  long  smelt  of 
a  badly-kept  dairy. 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  67 

When  the  Emperor  came  to  Bar,  he  always  preferred  to 
stay  at  General  Oudinot's.  The  Prefect  generally  waited 
until  he  sent  for  him.  The  last  time  he  was  a  little  late  ; 
it  was  in  the  evening,  and  the  Emperor,  when  he  saw  him, 
said,  "You  like  to  sleep,  monsieur  le  prefet."  That  was 
all,  and  it  was  not  until  some  years  later  that  this  modest 
and  worthy  administrator  was  rewarded  by  being  created 
a  Senator,  only  shortly  before  the  fall  of  the  Empire. 
During  his  residence  at  Bar,  he  continued  on  terms  of 
intimate  friendship  with  my  brother-in-law. 

On  the  occasion  of  this  our  first  visit,  we  saw  none  of 
the  Oudinot  family,  Mme.  la  Comtesse  Oudinot,  your 
father's  first  wife,  had  just  taken  up  her  abode  with  her 
children  in  the  house  I  now  live  in,  which  was  scarcely 
finished,  and  they  were  still  laying  out  and  beginning  to 
plant  our  beautiful  gardens.  The  Emperor  was  expected 
the  very  next  day  ;  the  town  was  all  excitement,  and  I 
heard  with  delight  that  he  was  to  pass  under  our  windows 
in  the  Rue  du  Bourg.  I  got  ready  to  behold  with  my  own 
eyes  the  man  who  till  then  had  played  so  fantastic  a  part 
in  my  imagination.  He  was  preceded  by  a  number  of 
couriers.  About  mid-day  his  carriage  drove  slowly  past ; 
but,  alas  !  I  was  only  able  to  catch  sight  of  the  edge  of 
his  cloak,  thrown  carelessly  over  his  knee.  Towards 
the  end  of  the  winter  of  1807-8,  my  sister  first  told  us 
of  her  acquaintance  with  Mme.  la  Comtesse  Oudinot. 
Her  praise  was  in  every  mouth,  and  that  which  came  from 
my  sister  increased  my  desire  to  meet  her.  My  sister, 
being  the  wife  of  a  State  functionary,  obtained  for  me,  with 


68  MEMOIRS  OF 

my  mother's  permission,  an  invitation  to  a  fete  given  to 
commemorate  some  solemnity  or  other. 

The  reception  took  place  in  the  theatre ;  it  was  crowded  ; 
all  the  boxes  were  filled,  and  one  particularly  attracted  my 
attention  :  it  was  the  Comtesse  Oudinot's.  They  whispered 
that  the  person  on  her  right  was  one  of  the  Empress's 
ladies.  It  was,  in  fact,  the  Comtesse  de  Marescot,  and 
three  of  the  Emperor's  pages,  in  their  rich  and  brilliant 
uniform,  completed  the  party.  At  last  I  saw  the  wife  of 
General  Oudinot ;  her  beautiful,  gentle  blue  eyes  met  mine  ; 
they  seemed  to  glance  at  me  with  a  look  of  kindness,  while 
I,  on  my  side,  felt  drawn  towards  her  by  a  subtle  sympathy. 
What  a  reminiscence  ! 

Mme.  Oudinot  was  thirty-eight  or  forty  years  of  age: 
I  cannot  give  you  a  better  idea  of  her  face  than  by  asking 
you  to  look  at  that  of  Charles,  her  grandson.  She  was 
short  and  very  stout.  Victor,  her  eldest  son,  one  of  the 
three  Imperial  pages,  resembled  the  portrait  in  my  boudoir 
at  Jeand'heurs.  He  was  then  fifteen  or  sixteen  years  old  ; 
he  came  and  asked  me  for  a  country-dance,  and  soon  I  was 
dazzled  by  his  talent  in  this  art,  which  at  that  time  was  an 
object  of  great  interest.  Not  only  was  one  taught  to  put  an 
infinitude  of  lightness  and  grace  into  his  steps,  but  the 
men  paid  great  attention  to  their  manners  with  their 
partners ;  at  least  this  was  the  habit  of  well-bred  people, 
and  the  son  of  General  Oudinot  was  known  to  have  received 
a  perfect  education,  and  to  have  turned  it  to  the  best 
advantage. 

They   had    introduced    at    Bar   a   foreign    dance  which 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  69 

replaced  that  known  as  the  "  Grandfather,"  which  generally 
ended  the  balls.  I  have  never  seen  it  danced  anywhere 
else  ;  it  was  a  general  hopping-match.  Every  one  took 
part  in  it,  to  the  sound  of  a  tambourine,  which  singularly 
reminded  one  of  the  music  of  the  performing  bears.  Some- 
what surprised  at  this  novelty,  the  page  began  to  burst 
with  laughter.  I  felt  greatly  inclined  to  do  as  much. 
"Well,"  said  he,  "we  must  join  in  this  motion,"  and  we 
soon  followed  the  general  impulse  with  the  enthusiasm  of 
the  two  children  that  we  were.  But  the  orchestra  stopped, 
and  M.  Oudinot,  bringing  me  back  to  my  seat,  made  me  a 
gay  and  smiling  bow,  which  I  returned.  Those  were  my 
first  relations  with  the  Oudinot  family  :  you  see  they  opened 
under  happy  auspices. 

After  the  Peace  of  Tilsit,  the  Grenadiers  occupied 
Dantzig ;  and  it  was  during  his  stay  there  that  their 
general-in-chief  broke  his  leg  while  galloping  on  the  exe- 
crable pavements  of  that  city.  It  was  a  serious  and 
complicated  fracture,  and  so  soon  as  the  invalid  was  able 
to  bear  transporting,  he  applied  for  sick  leave  to  come 
and  take  the  waters  in  France,  and  to  be  present  at  the 
wedding  of  his  eldest  daughter  with  General  Pajol. 

We  ourselves  were  at  Bar  in  the  summer  of  1808. 
During  the  short  visits  which  the  General  had  paid  to 
Bar  since  my  sister  had  come  to  live  there,  he  had  often 
been  to  her  house.  Christine's  relations  with  the  Comtesse 
Oudinot  had  drawn  closer  ;  both  of  them,  as  they  grew  to 
know  one  another  better,  learnt  to  appreciate  each  other 
more.     And  this  was  the  time  for  redoubling  one's  proofs 


70  MEMOIRS  OF 

of  sympathy,  since  the  General,  still  suffering  from  his 
accident,  made  it  none  the  less  his  habit  to  receive  every 
evening  all  those  who  called  upon  his  wife. 

Meanwhile  our  visit  was  being  protracted  amid  a 
round  of  various  amusements,  when  a  lady  of  our 
acc[uaintance,  Mme.  Oudot  by  name,  arranged  with  n\y 
sister  a  day  upon  which  to  call  at  the  General's  house, 
and  both  joined  in  begging  my  mother  to  permit  me  to 
accompany  them.  "  It  is  a  very  new  and  very  brilliant 
world  for  the  child  to  enter,"  she  replied  (I  was  then  about 
sixteen  years  old).  My  sister  insisted  until  my  mother 
gave  her  consent,  and  I  was  delighted  ;  for  my  interest 
and  curiosity  had  long  been  excited  about  this  general 
of  whom  we  had  heard  speak  so  constantly  since  our 
arrival. 

Perhaps  I  had  better  tell  you  what  sort  of  idea  I  had 
formed  of  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  massed  Grenadiers, 
a  formidable  troop  which  was  nicknamed,  as  you  know, 
"  the  infernal  column."  I  pictured  him  as  enormously  tall 
and  stout,  with  a  voice  of  thunder,  speaking  with  the 
gestures  and  tone  of  command  ;  I  saw  him  armed  to  the 
teeth  and  dragging  a  huge  sword  behind  him.  In  all  this 
I  resembled  a  little  the  children  who  often  take  the  drum- 
major  for  the  colonel  of  the  regiment  on  account  of  his 
great  height,  his  position  at  the  head  of  the  regiment,  his 
ferocious  air,  and  his  authoritative  gestures. 

Filled  with  this  picture  of  my  imagination,  I  followed 
my  sister  with  an  agitation  which  increased  as  we 
approached  the  house.     It  was  between  seven  and  eight 


MJRSHAL  OUDINOT  71 

o'clock  in  the  evening;  the  weather  was  warm  and  splendid, 
and  after  dinner  the  inmates  had  dispersed  through  the 
garden.  The  countess  received  us  with  kindness.  She 
was  accompanied  by  several  ladies  and  young  girls,  and 
we  soon  saw  coming  from  behind  all  the  bushes  a  number 
of  men  of  different  ages,  among  whom  I  noticed  many 
in  uniform. 

Mme.  Oudinot  despatched  some  of  her  husband's  aides- 
de-camp  to  fetch  us  bouquets,  and  meantimiC  resumed  her 
stroll  in  our  company.  "  My  husband,"  she  said  to  my 
sister,  "has  gone  to  see  my  father  in  the  upper  town.  I 
fear  it  is  a  rather  long  distance  for  him  to  walk  with  his 
broken  leg."  She  had  hardly  finished  speaking,  when  she 
exclaimed,  "Ah,  here  he  is!"  We  were  close  to  the 
bridge  over  the  canal  and  in  sight  of  the  great  stables,  from 
which  we  saw  a  man  come  out  who  walked  slowly  and 
with  difficulty,  leaning  on  the  arm  of  an  officer.  He  was 
dressed  in  a  brown  frock,  and  wore  nothing  by  way  of 
uniform  except  a  forage  cap  embroidered  with  the  lace 
denoting  his  rank. 

At  the  first  glance,  he  dissipated  all  the  ideas  I  had 
formed  concerning  him.  His  slender  and  supple  figure 
displayed  the  gracefulness  peculiar  to  those  who  habitually 
wear  uniform  ;  his  complexion  was  very  pale,  and  he  wore 
a  slight  moustache  of  the  same  brown  shade  as  his  hair 
and  whiskers.  His  open  forehead,  adorned  with  fine  and 
distinctly-marked  eyebrows,  was  really  admirable ;  his 
smile,  a  little  haughty,  rare  and  fleeting,  was  nevertheless 
perfectly  gracious  ;  his  piercing  glance  never  stared,  and  'n\ 


72  MEMOIRS  OF 

the  whole  of  his  physiognomy  there  was  something    deep 
and  dreamy  that  preoccupied  one. 

The  General  took  his  place  by  my  sister's  side  at  the 
head  of  the  procession,  and  I  mechanically  followed. 
Soon  we  entered  the  drawing-room  on  the  ground-floor, 
which  was  brilliantly  lighted.  The  General,  who  was 
fatigued,  sat  down  at  once  on  the  sofa  before  the  fire-place, 
begging  permission  to  put  up  his  leg,  which  was  not  yet 
cured,  and  persuaded  Lis  wife  to  go  to  the  piano  and  form 
some  quadrilles,  which  she  did  with  her  usual  kindness. 
M.  de  Bourcet,  whom  I  expect  you  remember,  was  our 
only  orchestra,  and  his  merry  companions,  who  had  been 
joined  by  a  {q\v  young  men  of  the  town,  kept  us  dancing 
till  eleven  o'clock.  The  moon  had  risen  over  Mount 
Faremont;  the  weather  was  so  warm  that  the  three  doors 
leading  to  the  garden  had  been  left  open  and  admitted 
the  delicious  perfume  of  the  flowers.  It  was  a  delightful 
evening  and  I  enjoyed  myself  thoroughly.  I  loved  danc- 
ing, and  did  nothing  else.  Yet  I  seemed  to  perceive, 
during  a  momentary  interval  of  repose,  that  I  was  the 
object  of  the  kindly  observation  of  the  General  and  his 
wafe  ;  but  this  fleeting  thought  left  no  trace  in  my  memory 
and  only  returned  to  me  in  later  years. 

On  the  25th  of  July  1808,  Oudinot  had  received 
the  title  of  Count  of  the  Empire,  together  with  the 
gift  of  the  domain  of  Inoclavo,  which  represented 
a  value  of  a  million  francs.  He  purchased,  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Bar-le-Duc,  the  immense  estate  of 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  73 

Jeand'heurs,  which  had  been  sold  under  the  Revolu- 
tion as  national  property.  The  old  abbey,  founded 
in  the  middle  ages  by  the  Order  of  Premonstrants, 
rose  in  the  midst  of  a  huge  park  surrounded  by 
walls,  with  gardens,  woodland,  pieces  of  water,  hot- 
houses, an  orangery,  Each  year  Oudinot  took 
greater  pleasure  in  beautifying  this  property,  in 
filling  it  with  his  triumphs,  decorating  it  with  his 
trophies,  his  swords  of  honour,  and  the  celebrated 
cannon  of  Monsembano,  whose  deep  voice  boomed 
out  on  days  of  festival.  Later,  the  little  river 
Saulx,  which  crosses  the  park,  was  used  to  work 
an  industrial  establishment — a  paper-mill — which 
was  of  great  service  to  the  municipality  of  Lisle 
en  Rigaud,  and  employed  a  number  of  hands. 


CHAPTER  III 


The  Congress  of  Erfurt — Oudinot  Governor  of  Erfurt — The  Czar  Alexander — 
The  Grand-Duke  Constantine  and  the  King  of  Wurtemberg — Constantine 
and  the  Grenadiers — Alexander's  apprehensions — Constantine's  plume — 
The  second  Austrian  carapaign^The  engagements  of  PfafTenhofen,  Ried, 
Ebersberg— Oudinot  occupies  Vienna — Oudinot  at  Essling — He  replaces 
Lannes  in  command  of  the  2nd  Corps — Oudinot  is  made  a  Marshal  and 
Due  de  Reggio — A  complimentary  letter  from  the  Czar — Oudinot's  mission 
to  Holland — His  moderation  and  humanity — His  success — Death  of  his 
first  wife — The  Emperor's  divorce — Marie  Louise — Annexation  of  Holland 
— Marriage  negociations  between  the  Due  de  Reggio  and  Mile,  de  Coucy 
■ — The  betrothal — The  marriage — The  ceremony — Departure  for  Bar-le- 
Duc — The  Marshal's  father — His  children. 


After  Tilsit,  Napoleon  went  to  Germany,  to  the 
meeting  at  Erfurt,  where,  in  conjunction  with  his  fickle 
friend,  the  Czar  Alexander,  he  hoped  to  be  able  to 
settle  definitively  the  fate  of  Europe.  All  the 
kinglets  and  princes  of  the  Confederation  of  the 
Rhine  were  there  ;  and  to  his  mind  there  was  no 
pomp  sumptuous  enough  to  give  them  an  idea 
of  his  mitrht.  He  wanted  a  man  with  a  olorious 
name  to  govern  this  little  town  for  a  few  weeks 
under  these  imposing  conditions,  and  he  selected 
Oudinot. 

The  Duchesse  de  Reggio  supplies  some  curious 
details  concerning  the  incidents  at  Erfurt : 


MEMOIRS  OF  MARSHAL  OUDINOT  75 

The  General  had  left  Bar  when,  a  few  days  later,  my 
sister  and  I  went  to  leave  cards.  We  ourselves  soon  re- 
turned to  Vitry  and  went  on  to  Hancourt,  where  we  spent 
the  autumn. 

At  this  period  I  used  to  listen  with  exceptional  interest 
when  the  newspapers  were  read  out  aloud.  They  were 
filled  with  details  on  the  famous  Congress  of  Erfurt. 
General  Oudinot  had  been  appointed  Governor  of  this 
town,  where  all  the  sovereigns  of  the  North  were  as- 
sembled ;  but  the  Emperors  of  France  and  Russia  at- 
tracted the  principal  attention,  and  naturally  threw  into 
the  shade  the  mass  of  crowned  heads,  who,  in  fact,  were 
only  grouped  there  by  the  will  of  one  man. 

The  political  objects  and  results  of  this  Congress 
are  not  in  my  domain.  As  to  the  details  of  the  mag- 
nificence of  this  assemblage,  they  have  been  described  at 
length.  Who  has  not  heard,  for  instance,  how,  at  the  per- 
formances of  the  Theatre  Frangais,  brought  bodily  from 
Paris,  all  the  boxes  were  occupied  by  more  or  less  power- 
ful monarchs,  while  the  pit  was  filled  with  officers  of  high 
rank?     An  unique  spectacle  in  history  ! 

Unfortunately,  few  generals  thought  of  taking  a  personal 
note  of  these  remarkable  events,  and  your  father  less  than 
any  of  them.  Nevertheless,  I  will  narrate  here  two  anec- 
dotes which  he  has  told  me,  although  I  cannot  hope  to  give 
an  idea  of  his  inimitable  manner  of  relating  them. 

It  fell  to  the  General  who,  as  Governor,  commanded  all 
the  troops  massed  at  Erfurt  and  neighbourhood,  to  supply 
guards,  escorts,  and  so  forth,  to  all  the  kings  and  princes, 


76  MEMOIRS  OF 

in  proportion  to  each  highness's  importance ;  and  this 
brought  him  into  daily  contact  with  them  all. 

One  day,  on  going  his  rounds,  he  was  surprised,  on 
passing  the  door  of  the  Grand-Duke  Constantine,  not  to 
see  the  sentry  to  whom  that  prince  was  entitled  ;  and  as 
he  observed  on  this  to  one  of  the  officers  accompanying 
him,  he  heard  from  within  a  loud  voice  conducting  the 
drill  in  the  drawing-room,  the  windows  of  which  were  open 
to  the  street.  The  General  without  hesitation  sprang  from 
his  horse  and  presented  himself  to  the  Grand-Duke,  whom 
he  discovered  in  the  strangest  neglige  face  to  face  with  his 
sentry,  whom  he  was  putting  through  his  drill.  At  the 
moment  when  the  General  opened  the  door,  the  prince 
cried,  "Fire!"  The  musket,  naturally,  discharged  its 
bullet. 

"Ah,  Sir,  what  are  you  doing?"  asked  the  General  in 
amazement. 

"  I  am  amusing  myself,"  replied  the  Prince. 

"  Yes  ;  but  apart  from  the  fact  that  you  are  exposing  the 
sentry  to  being  court-martialled,  have  you  not  reflected 
that  his  musket  is  loaded,  and  that  you  have  a  neighbour 
opposite  you  .-• " 

"  Pooh !  my  uncle  Wurtemberg,"  replied  the  Grand- 
Duke  ;  "  it  will  wake  him  up." 

The  last-named  monarch  was  so  well  roused  by  the 
bullet  which  had  just  traversed  his  bed-room  that,  furious 
and,  it  must  be  allowed,  not  without  reason,  he  sent  at  once 
to  know  where  the  shot  had  been  fired  from ;  and  as  his 
messenger  found  the  Prince,  my  husband  and  the  sentry  still 


MAR5HAL  OUDINOT  I'j 

together,  he  went  back  and  told  his  master  that  it  appeared 
to  be  the  Grand-Duke  who,  together  with  the  Governor, 
was  amusing  himself  by  firing  at  His  Majesty.  This  might 
have  turned  out  seriously,  but  fortunately  explanations 
were  given  in  good  time,  and  the  thing  went  no  further. 

The  other  anecdote  also  relates  to  that  brother  of  Alex- 
ander's, a  typical  Cossack,  morally  and  physically.  He 
was  the  constant  exception  amid  the  civilization  that  dis- 
tinguished Erfurt. 

One  morning  he  asked  the  Governor  to  allow  him  to  be 
present  at  a  review  of  the  Grenadiers  of  the  Old  Guard. 
Constantine,  always  enthusiastic  about  anything  military, 
examined  these  picked  troops,  who  pulled  a  grimace  under 
their  mustachios  on  seeing  a  Russian  come  to  inspect 
them. 

Your  father,  who  perceived  this,  and  who  was  anxious 
that  everything  should  go  off  well,  followed  him  closely. 
Suddenly,  as  he  passed  behind  a  rank,  and  thinking  he 
had  to  do  with  a  soldier  of  his  own  army,  he  touched  one 
of  the  grognards,  to  illustrate  some  remark.  You  should 
have  heard  your  father  imitate  the  Grenadier,  who  ex- 
claimed in  a  voice  of  thunder : 

"  Who  touched  me  ?  " 

"  I  did,"  said  General  Oudinot,  quickly  placing  himself 
between  the  Prince  and  the  soldier. 

"  That's  all  right,"  replied  the  latter,  on  recognizing  the 
well-known  voice,  which  instantly  calmed  him. 

Napoleon  had  occasional  moments  of  forgetfulness 


78  MEMOIRS  OF 

which  prevented  him  from  displaying  in  his  relations 
with  the  sovereigns  all  the  forethought  expected  in 
a  host. 

"  One  day,"  related  Oudinot,  "  we  were  riding 
into  the  country,  the  two  Emperors  riding  side  by 
side.  At  a  given  moment  ours,  carried  away  by 
his  thoughts,  took  the  lead,  whistling,  and  seem- 
ing to  forget  about  those  he  was  leaving  behind. 
I  shall  always  remember  Alexander,  turning 
stiffly  towards  his  neighbour,  and  asking,  '  Are 
we  to  follow  ? '  *  Yes,  Sire.'  I  rejoined  Napo- 
leon and  told  him  of  this  little  scene.  He  fell 
back,  offered  an  explanation,  and  that  was  the 
end  of  it." 

And  that  was  the  end  of  it !  Who  knows  ?  Auto- 
crats have  singularly  sensitive  minds.  And  for  that 
matter,  the  friendship  of  the  two  Emperors  was  not 
so  firm  as  they  would  have  the  world  believe,  and 
Alexander  retained  the  instinctive  distrust  natural 
to  a  man  accustomed  to  the  catastrophes  of  his 
country.  An  instance  of  this  is  given  by  Victor 
Oudinot,  whom  we  have  seen  as  a  Guide  at  Zurich, 
and  who  was  at  this  time  one  of  the  Emperor's 
pages : 

One  day,  he  says,  the  Emperors,  when  out  riding,  were 
suddenly  stopped  by  a  ditch  which  their  horses  refused  to 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  79 

jump.  I  put  mine  to  the  gallop,  leapt  the  ditch,  and  dis- 
mounted ;  then,  taking  Napoleon's  horse  by  the  bridle, 
I  persuaded  it  to  cross  the  obstacle.  Alexander,  spurring 
his  hor.se,  also  reached  the  other  side  ;  but  the  effect  of 
the  shock  was  that  his  sword-belt  broke  and  his  sword  fell 
to  the  ground.  I  picked  it  up  ;  and  Napoleon,  seeing 
what  I  was  doing,  said,  "  Keep  that  sword  and  bring  it  to 
me  later."  Then  looking  at  Alexander,  "  You  have  no 
objection,  Sire  ?"  he  added. 

Quick  as  thought,  an  expression  of  surprise  and  of  vague 
apprehension  came  into  the  Czar's  eyes.  But  soon,  resum- 
ing his  calm  and  confident  attitude,  he  in  few  words  gave 
his  assent. 

On  dismounting  from  his  horse,  Napoleon  said  to  Con- 
stant, his  valet,  "  Keep  this  sword  of  Alexander's,  and  give 
Oudinot  one  of  mine."  Then,  to  me,  "  Take  this  sword 
to  my  brother  of  Russia,  and  beg  him  in  my  name  to 
consent  to  this  exchange  of  arms."  I  hurried  with  it  to 
the  Czar,  who,  on  hearing  my  errand,  ordered  me  to  tell 
Napoleon  that  in  a  few  moments  he  would  express  to  him 
personally  his  very  sincere  gratitude.  The  Grand -Duke 
Constantine,  who  was  with  Alexander,  let  fall  these  words, 
"  I  say.  Monsieur  Oudinot,  if  your  august  master  were  to 
give  me  one  of  his  swords,  I  should  take  it  to  bed  with 
me!"  I  repeated  these  words  to  Napoleon,  who  made 
me  go  back  at  once  to  the  Grand-Duke  with  a  sword 
which  was  received  with  transports  of  joy,  although  it  was 
not  quite  the  same  as  that  which  the  "Emperor  usually 
carried. 


8o  MEMOIRS  OF 

At  the  breaking-  up  of  the  Congress,  Oudinot 
received  marks  of  esteem  from  all  the  sovereigns, 
with  the  exception  of  the  King  of  Wurtemberg. 
Alexander  gave  the  Governor  a  gold  snuff-box,  en- 
riched with  diamonds  of  great  value.  Constantine 
heard  of  this  present,  and  determined  to  make  one 
himself  which  should  be  original,  if  not  very  costly. 

"  Faith,  my  dear  General,"  he  said,  "  I  am  only 
a  younger  son  ;  I  am  very  sorry  to  have  nothing 
better  to  offer  you  than  my  plume." 

With  that  he  unfastened  the  old  bunch  of  cock's 
feathers  from  his  hat  and  presented  it  gracefully  to 
Oudinot,  expecting  him  to  hoist  it  on  the  spot  for 
love  of  him.  It  was  difficult  to  make  him  under- 
stand that  a  French  uniform  did  not  lend  itself  at  all 
well  to  this  feathered  decoration. 

These  demonstrations  of  friendship  were  vain, 
as  events  soon  showed.  After  Erfurt,  Napoleon 
hastened  to  Spain,  where  the  bad  condition  of  our 
affairs  required  his  presence  ;  and  no  sooner  did 
Austria  feel  that  he  was  inextricably  engaged  in  the 
heart  of  the  Peninsula,  in  all  the  turmoil  of  that 
disastrous  expedition,  than  she  began  to  think  of 
taking  advantage  of  these  difficulties  to  revenge 
herself  for  the^ampaign  of  1805.  The  Emperor  had 
to  be  everywhere  at  once.      He  reappeared  suddenly 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  8r 

in  Paris  in  January  1809,  in  order  to  hurry  on 
the  preparations  for  a  new  campaign  against  the 
Monarchy  of  the  Hapsburgs. 

Oudinot,  who  was  in  cantonment  at  Hanau,  near 
Frankfort-on-Main,  received  orders  to  enter  the 
Kingdom  of  Bavaria,  whose  Sovereign  was  then 
our  ally,  and  to  march  along  the  right  bank  of  the 
Danube  as  far  as  Augsburg,  the  extreme  end  of  our 
lines  on  that  side.  He  was  there  joined  by  his  old 
friend  and  leader,  Massena,  who  assumed  the  com- 
mand of  the  army  corps.  They  stayed  there  some 
time  before  the  commencement  of  hostilities  ;  but 
when  the  Archduke  Charles  unexpectedly  opened 
the  campaign  and  endeavoured  to  cut  them  off  from 
Davout,  who  was  at  Ratisbon,  they  marched  for- 
ward eagerly  in  order  to  effect  their  junction  with 
the  Marshal.  After  a  sharp  encounter  with  the 
Austrians  at  Pfaffenhofen,  they  reached  the  Isar  in 
time  to  make  sure  of  winning  the  Battle  of  Landshut 
(12  April). 

The  victory  of  Ratisbon  drove  back  the  Arch- 
duke Charles  upon  the  left  bank  of  the  Danube, 
while  the  Archduke  Louis  was  held  in  check 
upon  the  right.  The  whole  French  army  now  de- 
scended the  river  along  the  right  bank,  striving  to 
prevent  the  junction  of  the  Archdukes.     Oudinot  was 


82  MEMOIRS  OF 

in  the  advance-guard  with  Massena,  and  to  them 
fell  the  laborious  task.  They  crossed  the  Inn 
and  entered  Upper  Austria.  On  the  ist  of  May, 
Oudinot  had  a  brisk  and  successful  encounter  with 
the  enemy  at  Ried.  On  the  4th,  a  tremendous 
combat  took  place  at  the  crossing  of  the  Traun, 
with  the  object  of  carrying  the  town  of  Ebersberg 
and  its  castle,  perched  upon  a  height.  The  contest 
was  exceptionally  fierce.  The  shells  set  fire  to  the 
town;  it  was  taken,  lost,  and  taken  again;  or  rather, 
all  that  was  captured  was  a  heap  of  smoking 
ruins,  where  the  air  was  so  stiflinsf  that  it  was  im- 
possible  to  penetrate  into  what  remained  of  the 
streets.  The  wounded  were  left  to  die.  The  next 
day.  Napoleon  himself,  used  as  he  was  to  massacre, 
was  unable  to  refrain  from  manifesting  his  horror. 

On  the  9th,  Oudinot  was  encamped  within  mus- 
ket-shot of  the  walls  of  Vienna.  The  capital,  al- 
though in  a  weak  state  of  defence  and  badly  gar- 
risoned, prepared  to  resist,  so  greatly  was  the 
patriotism  of  the  inhabitants  excited  against  the 
French.  After  vainly  demanding  a  capitulation, 
the  General  forced  the  suburb  of  Maria- Hilf.  As 
he  passed  through  the  streets,  a  cannon-ball  struck 
the  angle  of  a  house  at  two  steps  from  him  ;  the 
Grenadiers  received  stones  and  boiling  water  poured 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  83 

down  from  the  windows.  But  the  shells  set  fire  to 
the  theatre  and  to  different  parts  of  the  town  ;  it 
was  unable  to  sustain  a  siege  and  was  soon  reduced 
to  open  its  gates. 

The  French  now  found  themselves  in  the  same 
situation  from  which  a  subterfuge  had  released  them 
four  years  earlier  :  although  masters  of  Vienna  and 
of  the  right  bank  of  the  Danube,  they  were  obliged 
to  go  and  put  down  the  enemy  on  the  left  bank. 
But  this  time,  instead  of  the  remnants  of  an  army, 
the  Archduke  Charles  had  at  his  disposal  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  men,  and  so  great  a  mass 
would  not  allow  itself  to  be  surprised  either  by 
Massena's  artifice  or  Oudinot's  dash.  After  a  pro- 
longed examination,  Napoleon  resolved  to  cross  the 
stream  below  Vienna,  at  the  spot  where  it  divides 
into  two  arms  containing  between  them  the  large 
island  of  Lobau.  The  action  commenced  on  the 
2  I  St,  at  Essling,  and  remained  undecided.  Oudinot 
crossed  the  river  on  the  nio-ht  of  the  21st  and  oc- 
cupied  the  centre,  having  on  one  side  the  village  of 
Aspern,  held  by  Massena,  and  on  the  other  that  of 
Essling,  held  by  Lannes.  He  pushed  forward, 
drove  in  the  Austrian  centre,  and  was  on  the  point 
of  separating  the  two  wings,  when  suddenly  he  learnt 
that  the  bridge  of  boats  joining  the  island  of  Lobau 


84  MEMOIRS  OF 

to  the  right  bank  had  broken  down.  The  Emperor, 
fearing  that  the  ammunition,  which  was  already- 
running  short,  woukl  give  out  entirely  in  the  thick 
of  the  fray,  gave  the  order  to  fall  back.  Lannes 
and  Oudinot  saw  the  victory,  which  seemed  within 
their  grasp,  snatched  from  them.  They  retreated  step 
by  step,  making  head  to  the  enemy ;  the  Grenadiers 
suffered  terrible  losses,  but  without  discouragement, 
thanks  to  the  gallant  bearing  of  their  chief,  who 
was  himself  wounded  in  the  arm. 

Upon  the  death  of  Lannes,  who  was  slain  during 
this  retreat,  Oudinot  was  thought  worthy  of  the 
very  great  honour  of  replacing  him  at  the  head  of 
the  2nd  Corps. 

"  The  Emperor,"  said  the  tenth  Bulletin  de  la 
Grande  Armde,  "has  given  the  command  of  the 
2nd  Corps  to  the  Comte  Oudinot,  a  general  tried  in 
a  hundred  fights,  in  which  he  has  displayed  equal 
courage  and  judgment "  (2  May  1809). 

Unable  to  mount  his  horse  because  of  his  wound, 
Oudinot  returned  in  his  carriage  to  the  island  of 
Lobau,  where  the  army  took  up  a  strong  position 
while  awaitinof  the  construction  of  bridges  stronof 
enough  to  ensure  a  solid  base  to  the  operations. 
Six  weeks  were  necessary  to  complete  these  great 
works.      At  last,  on  the  4th  of  June,  at  9  o'clock  in 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  S5 

the  evening,  Oudinot  received  the  order  once  more 
to  commence  the  passage,  a  truly  wonderful  exploit, 
considering  the  number  of  troops  engaged  (150,000 
men  on  either  side)  and  the  difficult  position  of  the 
French  army  in  having  to  fight  with  its  back  to  a 
great  river,  into  which  it  could  be  flung  in  case  of 
defeat. 

Oudinot's  soldiers,  crossing  in  great  barges,  sur- 
prised the  enemies'  sentries,  and  speedily  captured 
a  redoubt  known  as  the  White  House,  despite  a 
terrible  storm  which  suddenly  burst  upon  them. 
In  order  to  facilitate  the  passage  of  Massena  and 
Davout,  Oudinot  pressed  forward  between  the 
White  House  and  the  hamlet  of  Muhleiten,  shell- 
ing on  his  right  the  castle  of  Sachsengang,  held 
by  an  Austrian  battalion ;  at  daybreak  the  little 
o^arrison  surrendered. 

By  seven  o'clock  the  advance-guard  was  moimting 
the  lower  slopes  of  the  plain,  and  at  nine  the  army 
was  drawn  up  in  line  before  the  heights  of  Neusiedcl 
and  W^agram,  occupied  by  the  Archduke  Charles. 
Having  Massena  on  his  left  and  Davout  on  his  right, 
Oudinot  was  in  the  evening  at  Grosshofen,  in  pre- 
sence of  the  corps  of  Hohenzollern,  from  which  he 
was  separated  by  a  stream  called  the  Russbach. 
Napoleon   wishing   to    finish    the    business   by    tlic 


86  MEMOIRS  OF 

evening  of  the  5th,  he  flung  himself  upon  the  village 
of  Baumersdorf,  but  at  the  same  moment  a  portion 
of  Macdonakl's  troops  fired  by  mistake  upon  our 
allies  the  Saxons,  and  the  latter,  seized  with  panic, 
gave  way  on  all  sides.  This  incident  compelled  us 
to  abandon  the  attack. 

The  next  morning,  Oudinot  received  orders  not  to 
attack,  at  least  so  long  as  the  Archduke  Ferdinand 
did  not  advance ;  but  this  eventuality  was  doubtful. 
In  any  case,  when  he  saw  that  Davout  had  succeeded 
in  occupying  the  heights  of  Neusiedel,  which  were 
easily  captured  owing  to  the  gentleness  of  their  slope, 
he  understood  that  the  possession  of  these  ridges  by 
our  troops  would  make  the  heights  of  Wagram  more 
accessible.  The  latter  were  very  steep  and  formed 
the  key  of  the  position.  In  spite  of  his  instructions, 
he  crossed  the  Russbach,  attacked  Baumersdorf  a 
second  time,  carried  it,  and  continued  his  march 
forward,  notwithstanding  the  opposition  of  the  Aus- 
trians,  who  sheltered  themselves  in  the  clefts  In  the 
soil  In  order  to  fire  at  their  ease.  But  nothing  could 
check  his  impetuosity,  although  his  left  ear  was 
pierced  by  a  bullet  and  his  horse  killed  beneath 
him.  Massing  his  battalions,  he  drove  in  the 
enemy's  squares,  and  forced  his  way  to  Wagram, 
where  he  received  a  bullet  in  his  thigh.     Neverthe- 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  S7 

les^  he  held  out  until  the  victory  was  assured.  By 
three  o'clock  in  the  evening  the  enemy  was  retreating 
at  every  point. 

The  next  day  Napoleon  said  to  Oudinot : 

"  Do  you  know  what  you  did  yesterday  ?  " 

"  I  trust,  Sire,  I  did  not  too  badly  do  my 
duty." 

"  What  you  did  was  .  .  .  you  deserved  to  be 
shot!" 

Some  days  later,  in  a  letter  to  the  Minister  for 
War,  dated  Schonbrunn,  29th  July  1809,  the  Em- 
peror expressly  says  : 

"It  was  General  Oudinot  who  took  Wagram  on 
the  6th,  at  mid-day." 

And  in  the  order  of  the  day  of  the  5th  of  August, 
he  confirms  the  fact : 

"  His  Majesty  owes  the  success  of  his  arms  to  the 
Due  cle  Rivoli  and  Oudinot,  who  pierced  the  centre 
of  the  enemy  at  the  same  time  that  the  Due 
d'Auerstadt  turned  their  left." 

The  French  pursued  the  Austrians  as  far  as 
Znami,  where  the  last  battle  took  place,  and  where 
a  truce  was  signed  on  the  12th  of  July.  On  the 
morrow,  Oudinot,  exhausted  with  fatigue,  was  camp- 
ing amid  his  men  on  that  road  to  Moravia  w  hich 
had  twice  been  watered  with  his  blood.      He  was 


88  MEMOIRS  OF 

simply  stretched  on  a  truss  of  straw,  when  Col<^el 
de  Flahaut  entered  his  tent  and  handed  him  a 
sealed  missive  from  the  Emperor :  it  was  Oudinot's 
promotion  to  the  rank  of  Marshal,  a  worthy  recom- 
pense to  a  career  so  well  fulfilled. 

A  month  later  he  received  the  domain  of  Reggio, 
in  Calabria,  with  the  tide  of  duke,  and  a  grant  of 
eighty  thousand  francs  per  annum. 

It  was  just  at  the  time  when  the  news  of  these  well- 
deserved  rewards  reached  Bar,  says  the  Duchesse  de  Reggio, 
that  we  arrived  there  to  spend  the  remainder  of  the  summer 
at  my  sister's.  She  prepared  to  go  and  offer  her  congratu- 
lations to  the  Duchesse  de  Reggio,  and  remembering  her 
gracious  reception  of  me  in  the  preceding  year,  I  asked  and 
readily  obtained  leave  to  accompany  Christine.  I  there- 
fore went  with  all  my  heart  to  offer  my  sympathy  to  her 
upon  whose  head  were  accumulating  all  the  titles  and 
honours  which  were  later  to  revert  to  me.  How  strange  a 
thing  is  destiny ! 

In  the  midst  of  her  happiness  and  her  legitimate  triumph, 
the  new  Marechale  remained  as  kind  and  as  single-hearted 
as  in  the  past. 

Among  the  numberless  letters  of  congratulation  received 
at  this  period  was  the  following  from  the  Emperor  of 
Russia : 

"  Monsieur  le  marechal,  I  take  too  lively  a  part  in  all 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  89 

that  interests  yourself  not  to  express  to  you  the  pleasure 
with  which  I  heard  of  your  promotion  to  the  rank  of  Mar- 
shal. It  is  as  sincere  as  the  esteem  in  which  I  hold  you. 
It  is  always  a  matter  of  satisfaction  to  me  to  recall  the  day 
upon  which  I  made  your  acquaintance,  and  I  beg  you  to 
believe  in  the  sentiments  with  which  I  am  always  yours, 

{Signed)        "  Alexander." 

Reply  of  Mm'sJial  Oudinot,  Due  de  Reggio,  to 
the  Emperor  Alexander. 
«  Sire, 

"  I  did  not  think  it  would  be  possible  for  me  to  experience 
twice  in  my  life  a  feeling  of  satisfaction  and,  if  I  may  say 
so,  of  enthusiasm  equal  to  that  with  which  I  was  seized  at 
Erfurt,  when  Your  Majesty  completed  the  favours  with 
which  you  had  deigned  to  honour  me,  during  the  too  short 
moments  I  had  the  happiness  of  spending  with  you,  by 
making  me  the  inestimable  gift  of  }-our  portrait ;  but, 
Sire,  the  letter  which  I  have  just  received  from  Your 
Majesty  has,  if  that  be  possible,  moved  me  still  more  deeply. 

"  The  recollection  of  a  Prince  who  is  as  good  as  he  is 
great  and  powerful  swells  my  heart  with  noble  pride,  while 
at  the  same  time  it  fills  it  with  the  liveliest  and  most 
respectful  gratitude  ;  and  I  have  ventured,  Sire,  to  think 
that,  having  obtained  the  most  brilliant  proofs  of  the  favour 
of  my  Sovereign,  nothing  is  so  glorious  as  not  to  be  judged 
unworthy  of  them  by  so  enlightened  an  appreciator  as 
Alexander. 

{Signed)       "  MARSHAL  OuDiNOT,  Due  DE  Reggio." 


90 


MEMOIRS  OF 


This  was  not  the  only  mark  of  sympathy  which  the 
Marshal  received  from  sovereigns  of  foreign  countries. 
And  yet  he  had  attained  his  position  by  fighting  against 
them  !  Your  hearts  and  your  intelligence  can  draw  their 
own  conclusions  from  these  facts. 

Towards  the  end  of  that  winter  one  began  to  hear  of  the 
Emperor's  divorce,  and  soon  after  of  his  marriage  with  an 
Austrian  archduchess.  These  pieces  of  news  seemed  so 
extraordinary  that  they  woke  Vitry-le-Frangois  from  its 
habitual  indifference  to  all  that  went  on  outside  its  little 
ramparts. 

The  wedding  had  been  celebrated  in  Austria  by  procura- 
tion, as  is  usual  in  the  case  of  crowned  heads.  The 
Prince  of  Neuchatel  (also  Prince  de  Wagram)  had  repre- 
sented the  Emperor  at  the  ceremony.  He  brought  back 
the  Princess,  who  was  eighteen  years  of  age. 

The  recollection  of  what  I  then  saw  in  our  little  town 
was  perhaps  of  some  use  to  me  later,  when  in  different 
times  and  under  another  Princess  I  had  to  make  many  a 
country  journey  with  her. 

One  of  our  friends  put  her  windows  at  our  disposal  near 
the  hotel  where  Marie  Louise  alighted.  Each  moment  the 
scene  assumed  a  more  varied  and  animated  aspect.  There 
arrived  servants  in  the  imperial  livery,  swaggering  insolently 
about,  puffed  up  with  the  effect  produced  upon  the  crowd 
by  their  brilliant  trappings.  Then  came  the  niarechaux  des 
logis,  hurrying  to  and  fro  with  an  air  of  importance,  to  take 
account  of  every  one's  lodging  ;  civic  authorities  panting  ; 
a  general  unusual  movement. 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  91 

The  cannon  thundered  :  couriers,  covered  in  dust,  crack- 
ing their  whips,  followed  each  other  at  short  intervals, 
crying,  "  The  Empress  is  at  your  gates  ! "  The  carriage 
arrived,  drawn  by  eight  horses.  It  was  followed  by  several 
others,  all  filled  with  the  officers  and  ladies  who  had  gone 
to  receive  the  young  Princess  in  Germany. 

We  only  caught  a  glimpse  of  Marie  Louise.  With  her 
were  her  sister-in-law  Murat,  then  Queen  of  Naples,  and 
the  Duchesse  de  Montebello,  her  Mistress  of  the  Robes. 
All  were  dressed  in  purple,  embroidered  with  gold — only 
the  Empress's  gown  was  richer  than  the  others. 

Soon  one  of  the  Emperor's  pages  was  seen  riding  up 
from  Compiegne,  smothered  in  dust.  He  had  covered  the 
whole  distance  at  full  speed,  and  he  came  to  lay  at  his 
Empress's  feet  his  master's  bag,  a  brace  of  partridges  shot 
by  him  the  day  before. 

It  was  at  that  time  that  the  destiny  of  my  two  Paulines 
was  decided,  my  best  friends  at  Vitry.  Pauline  de  Cloys 
married  M.  Brandon  du  Thil.  I'auline  de  Montendre  left 
that  part  of  the  country  to  live  at  Abbeville  with  her 
relations. 

As  the  latter  and  I  strolled  sadly  along,  bidding  each 
other  farewell  beneath  the  trees  of  la  Doutre,  where  we  had 
been  so  happy,  we  made  guesses  at  our  futures. 

♦'  It  will  be  long  before  you  return,"  I  said  to  her, 
"They  will  marry  you  down  there." 

"And  you  here?"  she  replied. 

A  pause  followed  these  w^ords.  We  continued  to  walk 
along-   arm-in-arm.      Lost  in    the    endless    unknown    that 


92  MEMOIRS  OF 

opens  up  before  youth,  Pauline,  suddenly  stopping, 
said  : 

"  Promise  me  to  let  me  know  of  your  marriage,  as  I  will 
inform  you  of  mine,  by  simply  sending  me  a  gold  ring: 
the  details  will  follow." 

Struck  by  the  originality  of  this  idea,  I  agreed,  and 
added,  "  Yes,  but  if  your  betrothed  or  mine  is  decorated 
with  the  Legion  of  Honour,  we  must  add  a  stone  to  the 
ring." 

"Very  well,"  she  replied,  "but  two  stones  if  he  is  a 
baron." 

"  Then  three  if  he  is  a  count,"  I  cried. 

"  And  if  he  is  a  duke  ?  "  asked  Pauline. 

"Ah!  in  that  case  the  news  must  be  announced  by  a 
cluster  of  diamonds,"  I  replied,  laughing  heartily. 

We  returned  enlivened  by  this  novel  discussion.  Soon 
after,  we  parted,  and  two  years  later  it  was  I  who  de- 
spatched the  cluster  of  diamonds. 

Oudinot  was  recalled  to  France  at  the  end  of 
December,  in  order  to  preside  over  the  electoral 
college  at  Versailles,  and  was  only  able  to  stop  a 
week  at  Bar-le-Duc.  In  February  1810,  he  was 
sent  to  Holland,  in  command  of  the  army  of  the 
North,  upon  a  very  delicate  mission.  The  Em- 
peror, jealous  of  his  authority,  considered  that  his 
brother  Louis,  whom  he  had  placed  upon  the  Dutch 
Throne  to  act  as  the  docile  proxy  of  the  Imperial  will. 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  93 

did  not  show  himself  a  sufficiendy  supple  instru- 
ment, and  that  he  was  assuming  airs  of  independent 
sovereignty.  Anxious  for  the  interests  of  which  he 
had  accepted  the  control,  the  King  closed  his  eyes 
to  the  trade  which  his  subjects  drove  with  England, 
and  nothing  was  more  calculated  to  wound  Napo- 
leon's pride.  The  arrival  of  our  army  therefore 
partook  in  itself  of  the  nature  of  an  ultimatum  : 
either  Louis  and  his  people  must  submit,  or  the 
country  would  be  annexed  to  the  Empire. 

Thoug-h  the  order  was  a  brutal  one,  the  ao-ent 
selected  to  put  it  in  force  was  the  man  most  capable 
of  minimizing  its  cruelty.  Although  Holland  had 
for  a  moment  thought  of  burying  itself  beneath  its 
waters  to  save  its  existence,  as  in  the  days  of  Louis 
XIV.,  Oudinot  realized  that  his  would  be  a  peaceful 
rather  than  a  military  role  ;  it  was  not  the  hero  of 
Friedland  and  Wagram,  but  the  organizer  of  the 
Principality  of  Neuchatel,  who  was  now  called  upon 
to  show  his  talents. 

He  did  not  at  first  penetrate  into  the  heart  of 
Holland,  but  stopped  at  this  side  of  the  Waal,  at 
Bois-le-Duc,  awaiting  events  and  applying  himself 
to  maintaining  the  discipline  of  his  troops,  respecting 
customs,  sparing  individuals.  His  tact,  his  modera- 
tion, the  wisdom  of  his  conduct  caused  the  alwaj's 


9+  MEMOIRS  OF 

humiliating  presence  of  a  foreign  army  to  be  accepted 
without  colHsion,  and  when,  affairs  refusing  to  be 
arranged,  he  advanced  beyond  the  Waal  as  far 
as  Utrecht,  the  population  took  no  umbrage  at 
this   progress. 

It  was  at  Utrecht  that  the  Marshal  received  the 
news  of  the  death  of  the  Duchesse  de  Reggio.  His 
son  Victor  and  M.  Pierre,  Mayor  of  Bar-le-Duc, 
who,  from  a  feeling  of  respect  for  the  illustrious 
native  of  Bar,  had  accompanied  the  young  man, 
travelled  to  Holland  to  bring  the  painful  tidings. 

I  resume  the  narrative  of  Mme.  la  Duchesse 
de   Reggio  : 

In  the  spring  of  the  same  year,  1810,  died  at  Bar 
Mme.  la  Marechale  Oudinot.  In  spite  of  certain  sufferings 
which  preceded  the  catastrophe,  it  came  much  earlier 
than  was  foreseen.  The  Marshal  was  in  Holland,  charged 
with  an  important  mission  at  once  military  and  diplomatic, 
to  which  I  shall  have  occasion  to  return.  His  eldest  son 
Victor,  a  lieutenant  in  the  mounted  Chasseurs  of  the  Im- 
perial Guard,  was  scarcely  in  time  to  give  his  last  caress  to 
his  mother.  He  himself  undertook  the  sad  task  of  carrying 
the  melancholy  news  to  his  father. 

As  I  have  already  said,  Elise,  the  Marshal's  eldest 
daughter,  had  been  married  two  years  earlier  to  General 
Pajol.  Next  came  Nicolette,  the  second  daughter;  although 
she  was  not  yet  fifteen,  her  hand  was  promised  to  General 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  95 

Lorencez,  who  was  then  in  Spain.  Then  came  Augiistc, 
a  charming  child  of  ten  or  eleven  ;  he  was  at  the  College 
at  Bar,  where  he  carried  off  all  the  prizes  without  an  effort. 
He  was  followed  by  Elisa,  who  was  then  about  eight  years 
old.  Last  came  dear  little  Stephanie,  who  was  eighteen 
months. 

Apart  from  the  well-earned  regrets  which  followed  the 
Duchesse  de  Reggio  to  the  grave,  who  could  remain  in- 
different to  the  terrible  loss  endured  by  all  her  family? 
Who  can  witness  unmoved  the  departure  from  this  earth 
of  the  mother  of  six  children  .-* 

Meantime  Louis  grew  more  stubborn  in  his 
policy  of  resistance,  and  rather  than  allow  himself 
to  be  reduced  to  being  his  brother's  lieutenant,  he 
resolved  to  abdicate  (i  July  18 10).  Oudinot  forth- 
with made  his  entry  into  Amsterdam.  During  the 
past  six  months  he  had  succeeded  so  well  in  making 
the  French  name  beloved,  that  the  army  on  its 
arrival  met  with  a  sympathetic  reception  on  which 
it  had  far  from  reckoned  :  the  people  came  out  to 
meet  it ;  the  dykes  and  trees  were  crowded  with 
sight-seers  ;  in  the  town  itself  numerous  flags  floated 
from  the  windows  ;  the  Dutch  soldiers  fraternized 
with  ours  in  the  barrack-rooms.  But  Cambicr,  the 
minister  whose  duty  it  was  to  hand  over  the  capital 
to  the  French  authorities,  was  unable  to  conceal  his 


96  MEMOIRS  OF 

sorrow  at  the  disappearance  of  this  proud  little 
nation,  which  had  fought  for  its  Hberty  so  bravely 
during  centuries  ;  and  he  wept  as  he  addressed  the 
Marshal.  Oudinot  felt  all  the  natural  bitterness 
which  must  needs  fill  that  wounded  heart,  and  he 
confessed  his  emotion  by  the  brusque  tones  in  which 
he  tried  to  dissimulate  it : 

"  Come,  come,  Monsieur  Cambier,"  he  said,  "  don't 
cry  like  that,  for,  upon  my  word,  I  am  ready  to  do 
the  same,  and  what  fools  we  should  both  look." 

The  Due  de  Reggio  spent  the  following  months 
in  superintending  the  cantonments  of  his  troops,  in 
visiting  the  country,  and  in  commencing  its  assimila- 
tion to  France. 

In  1811  he  divided  his  time  between  Holland, 
where  he  served  as  guide  to  Napoleon  and  Marie- 
Louise  on  the  occasion  of  their  visit,  and  Bar-le- 
Duc.  But  here  I  must  allow  the  author  of  these 
Memoirs  herself  to  narrate  events  with  which  she 
was  so  intimately  connected  : 

After  my  sister's  recovery,  we  left  Bar,  where  Marshal 
Oudinot  was  expected.  A  year  had  elapsed  since  his 
wife's  death  ;  a  thousand  interests  called  to  him  in  vain ; 
his  military  and  political  mission  in  Holland  had  set  an 
absolute  obstacle  to  his  return  home  before  the  time  of 
which  I  speak. 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT 


97 


Nothing  could  be  more  interesting,  my  children,  than 
the  documents  relating  to  this  great  piece  of  business.  It 
was  even  more  diplomatic  than  military.  Your  father  was 
able  to  achieve  a  really  unhoped-for  result,  since  he  at  once 
satisfied  the  highest  wishes  of  the  Emperor,  acquired  a 
right  to  the  gratitude  of  the  Sovereign  he  had  dethroned, 
thanks  to  the  carefulness  of  his  procedure,  and  lastly  was 
able  to  obtain  the  esteem  and  sympathy  of  the  State  he 
had  invaded  ;  all  this  in  the  face  of  unspeakable  difficulties 
and  obstacles. 

All  that  refers  to  this  fine  page  in  your  father's  life  is 
to  be  found  in  the  archives  of  our  house.  I  have  al- 
ready spoken  of  the  homage  paid  him  by  the  City  of 
Amsterdam  in  1811.  Why  should  I  not  mention  now 
the  remarkable  souvenir  which  came,  some  years  later,  to 
prove  that,  in  spite  of  revolutions,  and  conflicting  interests, 
what  is  just  and  fine  always  remains? 

When  the  House  of  Orange,  after  the  Peace,  resumed 
its  reign  in  Holland,  the  King  of  that  country  sent  the 
grand  cross  of  his  orders  to  the  Due  de  Reggio,  whom  he 
had  never  seen,  but  whom  he  had  learnt  to  know  by  the 
memories  of  justice,  disinterestedness  and  loyalty  which 
he  had  left  behind  him. 

But  let  us  return  to  my  mother  at  Vitry,  who  iiad  finally 
taken  her  resolution,  so  constantly  postponed,  to  realize 
her  property  in  Franchc-Comte.  As  this  kept  her  \'cry 
busy,  she  often  sent  me  to  my  aunt  the  canoness,  an 
excellent,  sensible  woman,  who  always  began  by  allowing 
me  to  paint  the  future  in  the  bright  colours  which  are 


98  MEMOIRS  OF 

pleasing  to  youth,  and  little  by  little,  with  her  power  of 
reasoning  and  her  experience,  brought  me  back  to  the 
realities  of  life. 

At  last  my  mother  fixed  the  date  for  her  departure  and 
mine  on  the  long-planned  journey  to  Franche-Comte.  We 
intended  at  first  to  go  by  Saint-Dizier  and  Langres,  picking 
up  on  our  way  our  man  of  business,  M.  Paillot,  a  notary  of 
Bar,  when  my  brother-in-law  wrote  to  my  mother  urging 
her  to  fetch  the  lawyer  at  Bar  itself.  She  decided  to  do  so, 
and  we  were  making  our  preparations  when  a  second  and 
more  explicit  letter  arrived,  which  informed  my  mother  of 
an  urgent  personal  invitation  from  Marshal  Oudinot  to  an 
evening  party  at  which  his  daughter,  the  Comtesse  Pajol, 
was  to  do  the  honours.  "  The  Marshal's  insistence,"  wrote 
my  brother-in-law,  "seems  to  us  to  point  to  a  preconceived 
plan  ;  his  repeated  enquiries  after  my  sister-in-law  incline 
us  to  believe  that  he  wishes  to  ask  you  for  her  hand  in 
marriage." 

This  overture  gave  my  mother  food  for  deep  reflection, 
with  the  result  that  she  sent  a  messenger  forthwith  to  fetch 
my  uncle  at  Hancourt.  He  arrived  without  delay,  and 
encouraged  my  mother  to  decide  in  favour  of  the  road  by 
Bar  over  that  by  Langres. 

"  Why  should  you  hesitate,"  said  he,  "  to  select  the  road 
which  naturally  takes  you  to  your  children  .''  Are  you 
alarmed  at  the  distinguished  attention  paid  you  by  such  a 
man  as  the  Due  de  Reggio  ?  To  accept  it  in  no  case  com- 
mits you  any  further  than  all  the  others  invited  ;  and  sup- 
posing, what  is  still  very  uncertain,  that  there  is  some  idea 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  99 

of  marriage  for  Eugenie  beneath  it,  would  you  be  justified 
in  going  out  of  the  way  of  it,  without  first  calculating  the 
chances  ? " 

This  argument  settled  the  question,  and  two  days  later 
we  set  out.  Gustave  was  at  school,  and  my  mother,  my 
nurse  Rosalie  and  I  travelled  in  my  sister's  carriage,  which 
she  had  sent  us  from  Bar.  The  weather  was  sultry  and  we 
were  all  asleep,  when  a  sudden  shock  aroused  us  ;  we  had 
tumbled  down  the  steep  slope  of  Saudrupt,  at  the  foot  of 
which  our  carriage  was  violently  upset.  The  windows  were 
broken ;  the  glass  wounded  my  left  eye  and  cut  a  muscle 
in  my  mother's  right  hand,  while  my  nurse,  still  more 
unfortunate  than  ourselves,  was  thrown  off  the  box  to  the 
ground,  where  she  lay  insensible,  with  her  head  cut  open. 

My  sister's  house  was  soon  transformed  into  a  kind  of 
hospital.  Dr.  IMoreau,  a  friend  of  my  brother-in-law's, 
hastened  to  give  my  mother  and  me  the  benefit  of  his  zeal 
and  intelligence.  He  saved  my  eye  by  applying  leeches, 
and  set  us  on  our  feet  in  a  very  short  time ;  while  his 
colleague  Champion  restored  Rosalie  to  us  in  ten  or  twelve 
days  after  the  catastrophe. 

The  Marshal  was  dining  at  the  same  house  as  Dr.  Morcau 
when  the  latter  was  hurriedly  sent  for,  with  the  exaggerated 
report  that  Mme.  and  Mile,  de  Coucy  had  been  carried  to 
Mme.  de  la  Gueriviere's  more  dead  than  alive.  The  Mar- 
shal was  thunderstruck ;  and  soon  returning  home,  he 
begged  his  daughter,  the  Comtcsse  Pajol,  and  Mile. 
Oudinot,  since  Comtesse  de  Lorencez,  to  call  and  make 
enquiries. 


100  MEMOIRS  OF 

Meantime,  the  whole  town  was  set  in  a  ferment  by  our 
accident.  Apart  from  the  interest  that  people  were!  kind 
enough  to  take  in  us  and  in  M.  and  Mme.  de  la  Giieriviere, 
who  were  very  popular,  a  fact  had  occurred  which  mightily 
stirred  public  curiosity.  The  Marshal  hajd'  countermanded 
his  reception,  giving  frankly  as  his  r<aasS^  the  distress 
inspired  by  our  condition.  V*^ 

A  few  days  elapsed,  when  suddenlyVthe  Marshal  sent  to 
ask  my  mother  on  what  day  and  at  what  time  he  might 
call  and  personally  assure  himself  of  our  progress. 

He  arrived,  accompanied  by  "his  son  Auguste  in  a  col- 
legian's uniform.  I  attentively  examined  the  child  and 
the  father.  The  latter  had  shaved  his  mustachios ;  his 
figure  and  his  step,  which  were  impeded  by  his  wound 
when  I  first  saw  him,  had  resumed  their  normal  state, 
and  his  wl>Q|e  appearance  ^seemed  to  me  as  attractive 
as  it  was  distinguished.  I  haa  just  arrived  at  this  opinion 
when  the  M^rsl^al  turned  to  •.me  and  put  a  question 
specially  direcWd^  to  my  condition.  So  much  interest 
was  displayed  in  his  words  thaty  my  brother-in-law,  im- 
pelled by  a  movement  for  wWch  he  was  quite  unable  to 
account  to  himself,  raisg^d  my  veil,  and  said,  "  See,  mon- 
sieur le  marechal,  whju;  hks  happened  to  that  poor  young 
face."  The  keen,  r^pid  gla^ice  which  the  Marshal  threw 
upon  me  will  never  leave  rrty  memory.  It  was  one  of 
curiosity  mingled  with  lively  interest.  We  exchanged 
monosyllables,  and  he  soon  took  his  leave  and  with- 
drew, leaving  a  most  favourable  impression  upon  my 
mother. 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  loi 

We  had  also  seen  Mme.  Pajol,  who  was  in  v&xy  weak 
health  at  the  time,  and  who  had  left  for  Plombieres,  where 
her  father  was  to  join  her.  He  continued  to  send  to  en- 
quire ;  and  a  few  days  before  his  departure,  he  returned  in 
person,  and  found  us  well  and  cheerful.  This  time  the  ice 
was  broken.  The  conversation  was  easier  on  both  sides. 
Your  father  was  charming,  and  told  us  many  curious  anec- 
dotes of  his  interesting  career. 

The  day  after  the  Marshal's  second  visit,  we  v.-ere  just 
going  out  for  a  walk,  about  eight  in  the  evening,  when 
Pils,  the  Marshal's  valet,  came  up  with  a  note  for  M.  de  la 
Gueriviere,  and  stopped  him  as  he  was  about  to  accompany 
us.     We  had  already  taken  a  few  steps. 

"  Go  on  without  me,"  he  said ;  "  the  Marshal  wishes  to 
see  me  ;  I  will  go  round  to  him." 

With  a  common  accord,  and  without  exchanging  a  word, 
we  returned  at  once  to  the  house,  and  sitting  down  in  the 
drawing-room,  awaited  my  brother-in-law's  return.  lie 
was  away  a  long  time.  Evening  fell,  and  the  daylight 
gave  way  to  a  fine  moonlight  night.  All  the  sounds  of 
the  town  had  ceased  one  by  one.  Thus,  in  complete 
silence,  and  without  any  light  but  that  of  the  moon,  we 
waited  till  eleven  o'clock.  At  last  steps  were  heard  in 
the  distance,  and  soon  M.  de  la  Gueriviere's  tall  figure 
appeared  before  us. 

Throwing  his  hat  on  a  chair,  he  came  up  to  me,  and 
said  : 

"Sister,  would  you  like  to  marry  Marshal  Oudinot?" 

We  all  three  gave  a  single  cry.     It  was  one  of  delight, 


102  MEMOIRS  OF 

not  of  surprise;  for  without  confessing  it  to  one  another, 
we  had  for  some  hours  guessed  the  real  reason  for  this 
interview. 

None  of  us  spoke ;  and  my  brother-in-law,  striding  to 
and  fro,  sought  to  gather  the  necessary  cahnness  to  fulfil 
his  errand  conscientiously.  At  last,  turning  to  my  mother, 
he  told  it  her  more  or  less  in  these  words  : 

"  I  found  the  Marshal  awaiting  me  impatiently.  When 
he  saw  me,  he  familiarly  and  confidently  took  my  arm,  led 
me  to  his  room,  and  said,  '  I  can  no  longer  remain  in  the 
position  into  which  my  bereavement  has  thrown  me.  I 
want  to  marry  a  woman  young  enough  to  be  able  to  mould 
herself,  without  effort,  to  my  character  and  habits.  Both  for 
my  children's  sake  and  my  own,  I  wish  to  find  guarantees 
of  security  in  her  family,  her  education  and  her  principles ; 
instead  of  a  fortune,  I  hope  to  find  simple  and  modest 
tastes.  As  soon  as  I  began  to  entertain  the  idea  of  con- 
tracting a  new  union,  my  memory  went  back  to  your 
young  sister-in-law.  I  considered  that  she  must  unite 
in  her  own  person  all  the  conditions  I  have  named.  Will 
you  undertake  to  put  before  her  and  her  mother  the  wishes 
I  entertain  .'' '  Without  giving  me  time  to  reply,  the 
Marshal  continued,  '  She  knows  that  I  have  six  children  ; 
but  they  are  good  children,  who  will  only  look  at  my 
happiness  in  the  step  I  am  contemplating.  Tell  Mile,  de 
Coucy  also  that  I  am  forty-four  years  old,  and  that  I  have 
five  hundred  thousand  francs  a  year.  My  social  position 
is  well  known,  and  I  shall  be  happy  to  share  it  with 
her.' 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  103 

"That,"  resumed  my  brother-in-law,  "is  the  purport  of 
the  first  and  most  important  part  of  our  conversation.  The 
Marshal  leaves  for  Plombieres  to-morrow,  and  he  has 
asked  me  to  despatch  an  express  to  him  in  a  few  days  to 
bring  him  your  reply." 

Thereupon  all  three  turned  to  me,  and  I  saw  that  I 
should  have  to  give  my  decision  ;  but,  before  all,  I  wished 
to  know  the  opinion  of  my  mother,  who  said,  "  No,  I  will 
not  direct  you  in  this.  The  position  offered  you  is  too 
well  known  ;  the  person  who  offers  it  is  too  celebrated  ; 
you  yourself  understand  the  question  too  well  for  me  to 
seek  to  influence  you.  This  important  decision  rests  with 
you  alone." 

"Well,  then,"  said  I,  "  I  accept !  " 

The  confidence  with  which  the  Marshal  asked  of  me  his 
own  happiness  and  that  of  his  family,  which  included  some 
very  young  children,  placed  this  mission  before  me  in  such 
touching,  such  honourable  colours,  that  I  put  on  one  side 
all  that  was  perilous  in  it  :  I  seemed  not  to  have  the  right 
to  refuse.  Why  should  I  not  add  that  the  glory  of  that 
name  placed  a  great  weight  in  the  balance  ? 

I  shall  not  relate  here  all  the  details  of  my  first  private 
interview  with  the  Marshal,  in  which  were  laid,  so  to  speak, 
the  foundations  of  our  future.  Your  father  was  at  once 
frank,  communicative,  and  full  of  compassion  for  me,  under- 
standing my  agitation  and  embarrassment,  and  when,  after 
half  an  hour,  my  mother  and  sister  returned,  they  found  me 
reassured  and  full  of  gratitude.  Thenceforward  the  Mar- 
shal came  to  visit  us  quite  simply.     He  aLso  invited  us  to 


104  MEMOIRS  OF 

a  great  ceremonial  dinner  at  his  house,  at  which  Mme. 
roriquct,  the  sister  of  the  Marshal's  first  wife,  received  his 
guests.  I  there  met  again,  for  the  first  time  for  about  four 
years,  the  Marshal's  eldest  son.  The  lapse  of  time,  his 
change  of  uniform,  his  graver  and  more  serious  air  would 
have  prevented  me  from  recognizing  him  elsewhere  than  at 
his  father's. 

We  also  spent  a  couple  of  days  at  Jeand'heurs.  The 
entertainments  were  to  last  a  week  longer,  but  my  mother 
resisted  all  persuasion  to  prolong  our  visit,  and  it  was  then 
that  she  had  a  serious  interview  with  the  Marshal. 

"  I  am  going  to  Vitry,  and  from  there  to  the  country," 
said  my  mother. 

"  And  I,"  replied  the  Marshal,  "  before  returning  to 
Holland,  where  the  Emperor  has  ordered  me  once  more, 
will  first  go  to  Paris  to  take  him  into  our  confidence. 
I  will  send  you  my  news ;  permit  me  also  to  write  direct 
to  Mile,  de  Coucy." 

On  the  day  of  our  departure  from  Bar,  the  Marshal  came 
to  say  good-bye.  I  was  much  affected,  and  talked  little. 
He  accused  me  of  coldness,  and  complained  to  my  sister, 
who  wrote  and  told  me  of  it ;  but  the  cloud  soon  passed 
away. 

The  Marshal  wrote  that  he  had  seen  the  Emperor  at 
Rambouillet,  who,  after  receiving  the  confidence  of  his 
projected  marriage,  told  him  that  before  all  he  must  return 
to  Holland  to  complete  his  work  there  and  prepare  the 
country  to  receive  the  Emperor  himself  as  its  new  Sovereign. 
He  added  that  he  would  be  accompanied  by  Marie  Louise, 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  105 

and  that  he  would  rely  entirely  upon  the  Marshal  to  see 
that  they  were  well  received.  This  was  so  difficult  an 
undertaking  that  we  at  once  understood  how  much  time 
and  care  would  be  required  for  the  task. 

Meantime  the  Marshal  had  gone  straightway  to  Holland, 
whence  he  wrote  to  us  frequently,  but  briefly,  and  wc  were 
unable  to  find  in  his  letter  any  reference  to  an  approaching 
solution.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  he  did  not  yet  know  the  date 
of  the  Imperial  journey,  and  on  the  other  hand  he  had  hard 
work  before  him,  as  I  have  said,  to  persuade  the  country, 
all  bruised  with  the  last  measures  of  which  it  was  the 
victim,  to  put  on  its  holiday  clothes  in  order  to  conceal 
its  wounds. 

We  spent  the  long  summer  entirely  at  Hancourt  and 
Lentilles.  The  weather  was  marvellously  fine ;  every 
night,  under  an  Italian  sky,  we  went  out  to  admire  the 
famous  comet,  and  I  vow  I  owe  it  as  much  gratitude  as 
did  the  wine-growers  for  the  celebrated  vintage  it  brought 
them  ;  for  it  furnished  many  a  subject  of  idle  conversation 
at  that  period  of  my  life  when  it  was  so  often  necessary  to 
hide  my  thoughts  beneath  insignificant  phrases. 

Certainly,  these  were  generally  serious  ;  but  I  should 
be  wanting  in  sincerity  if  I  failed  to  confess  that  there 
were  a  few  frivolous  thoughts  mingled  among  them.  I 
often  thought  of  that  young  Empress  of  whom  I  had  caught 
so  rapid  a  glimpse,  not  dreaming  at  the  time  that  anything 
would  bring  me  nearer  to  her.  I  thought  of  the  Emperor, 
who  would  speak  to  me,  and  to  \\hom  I  should  have  to 
reply,  when  I  was   presented  to  him.     The   Marshal   had 


io6  MEMOIRS  OF 

amused  himself  by  frightening  me  about  the  Imperial 
Court  and  the  great  world  of  Paris. 

Autumn  came  and  found  us  still  at  Lentilles,  where 
we  received  the  first  details  of  the  Emperor's  journey. 
Their  Majesties  had  been  well  received.  It  was  an  ad- 
ministrative tour  de  force  on  the  part  of  the  Due  de  Reggio. 
The  Emperor  believed,  or  pretended  to  believe,  that  the 
country  had  rallied  to  him  completely ;  he  expressed  his 
great  satisfaction  to  the  Marshal,  who  accompanied  him  to 
the  extreme  frontier.  The  Marshal  mentioned  his  mar- 
riage projects  a  second  time.  "Go,"  said  the  Emperor, 
"go  and  marry  Mile,  de  Coucy  ;  I  give  my  entire  con- 
sent." 

Without  losing  a  moment,  the  Marshal  went  to  Amster- 
dam., received  the  heartfelt  adieux  of  that  city,  crossed 
Paris,  and  arrived  at  Bar,  where  interests  of  every  kind 
imperiously  demanded  his  presence.  Already  war  was 
talked  of,  and  the  Marshal  was  informed  that  he  would 
soon  receive  the  command  of  an  army  corps. 

The  Marshal  invited  himself  to  breakfast  with  my 
mother  on  Christmas  Eve  1811.  I  rose  in  a  state  of 
great  excitement  by  the  pale  light  of  that  24th  of 
December.  My  mother  had  only  summoned  to  that 
intimate  breakfast  my  aunt  the  canoness,  and  M.  Orisi, 
a  charming  old  man,  her  friend  and  adviser.  All  was 
arranged  and  warmed  in  my  mother's  little  house  by  nine 
o'clock  in  the  morning ;  my  excitement  increased  from 
minute  to  minute,  and  it  had  reached  its  summit  when,  at 
ten  o'clock,  the  Marshal,  accompanied  by  my  brother-in-law, 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  107 

ran.£^  gently  at  the  door.  1  had  reckoned  on  the  noise  of  a 
carriage  to  prepare  me  for  the  interview  ;  but  the  travellers 
had  left  their  equipage  and  their  servants  at  the  post- 
house,  and  had  come  on  foot  to  the  Rue  de  Frignicourt, 
where  we  lived. 

I  awaited  the  signal  in  my  room.  La  Guerivicre  came 
to  fetch  me,  and  his  radiant  air  gave  me  courage.  In  a 
moment  I  realized  that  I  must  try  and  dominate  a  childish 
timidity  for  which  the  time  was  past.  The  breakfast  was 
gay  and  charming.  The  general  conversation  was  resumed 
in  the  drawing-room,  and  the  Marshal  and  M.  d'Orisi 
sparkled  with  a  thousand  delightful  pleasantries.  They 
took  a  liking  to  one  another,  and  the  dear  old  man  re- 
mained till  the  day  of  his  death  the  adorer  of  his  new 
friend.  I  was  very  fond  of  M.  d'Orisi  ;  but  if  he  had  had 
no  other  title  to  my  good  graces  than  his  friendly  assist- 
ance that  morning,  that  would  have  been  sufficient  to 
endear  him  to  me. 

Soon,  after  a  journey  to  Paris  to  draw  up  our  marriage- 
contract,  which  the  Emperor  signed,  the  Marshal  announced 
his  arrival  for  the  12th  of  January  (18 12);  he  had  been 
appointed  commander-in-chief  of  the  2nd  Corps  of  the 
Grande  Armee,  and  was  shortly  to  go  and  see  to  its 
organization  in  Westphalia.  The  Emperor  was  urging 
his  departure,  and  he,  on  his  side,  urged  my  mother  to 
such  a  degree  that,  in  spite  of  her  good  head  and  her 
activity,  she  almost  gave  way  beneath  the  infinite  details 
that  bore  down  upon  her.  Soon,  however,  my  whole 
family  came  to  her  aid,  gathering  round  us   and  staying 


io8  MEMOIRS  OF 

with  us  until  the  wedding.  My  poor  aunts  dc  Lentillcs 
alone  were  kept  at  home  by  their  health,  unable  to  face 
the  winter,  which  was  very  severe  that  year.  As  for  me, 
my  children,  I  knew  not  whether  it  was  cold  or  hot. 

The  Marshal  informed  us  that  he  would  be  accompanied 
by  almost  his  entire  staff,  and  that  he  wished  to  invite  a 
large  number  of  his  relations  and  of  his  friends  at  Bar-le- 
Duc ;  and,  as  on  our  side  too  the  guests  were  numerous, 
we  had  many  lodgings  to  prepare,  and  a  table  of  some 
fifty  covers  to  provide  for. 

At  last  the  i8th  arrived.  I  was  dressed  and  down  in  the 
drawing-room,  where  the  family  was  assembled,  when  at 
eleven  o'clock  a  confused  noise  made  us  understand  that 
the  Marshal  had  arrived  at  his  hotel.  Soon  the  tumult 
increased  and  drew  nearer,  and  we  gathered  that  he  was 
approaching  the  house.  He  was  preceded  by  so  great  a 
crowd  that  his  aides-de-camp  had  the  greatest  difficulty  in 
clearing  a  way  for  him.  A  guard  of  honour,  composed  of 
the  pick  of  Vitry  society,  and  commanded  by  that  dear, 
good  General  de  Possesse,  whom  you  knew,  afforded  a 
brilliant  mounted  escort  to  the  Marshal,  who  was  on  foot, 
in  uniform,  as  were  his  son,  his  son-in-law,  and  all  his  staff. 
On  reaching  our  door,  at  which  stood  waiting  the  men  of 
my  family,  the  Marshal  stepped  from  among  the  gold-laced 
throng  that  accompanied  him  and  entered  the  drawing- 
room  alone.  After  bowing  with  the  grace  and  dignity  of 
which  your  father  seemed  to  have  the  monopoly,  he  took 
me  by  the  hand,  beckoned  to  his  friends,  and  presented 
them  to  me  by  name,  commencing  with  his  children  ;  then 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  109 

throwing  up  a  window,  without  leaving  hold  of  my  hand, 
he  told  me  with  him  to  greet  the  commandant  and  the 
guard  of  honour.  A  cheer  rose  as  from  one  throat,  and 
the  crowd  joined  in  the  cry  of  "  Long  live  Marshal  Oudinot, 
and  long  live  the  Emperor  !  " 

On  the  19th  he  came  and  spent  some  hours  with  my 
Aunt  Clotilde  and  myself;  this  was  the  best  part  of  the 
day,  on  which  I  had  the  bitter  regret  of  only  catching  an 
occasional  glimpse  of  my  mother.  At  nightfall  it  was  time 
to  think  of  my  toilette.  The  reception  was  to  begin  at 
seven  o'clock,  the  supper  was  at  nine,  the  civil  marriage  at 
eleven,  and  the  religious  ceremony  at  midnight. 

Messages  succeeded  one  another  to  hurry  my  appearance 
in  the  drawing-room,  where  the  Marshal  and  all  the  guests 
were  assembled.  Mme.  Morel,  my  maid,  fixed  her  hun- 
dredth pin.  At  last  I  followed  my  mother  and  found 
myself  in  the  presence  of  my  betrothed,  his  children,  his 
officers,  and  the  families  and  friends  of  each.  As  I  said, 
there  were  several  from  Bar,  including  Messieurs  Pori- 
quet,  Pierre,  Buffault,  Gillon,  the  Prefect,  and  others,  all 
strangers  to  my  relations  and  to  my  Vitry  friends  ;  it 
was  natural  that  a  little  stiffness  should  reign  at  first.  The 
Marshal  was  impatiently  awaiting  my  entrance,  which  put 
an  end  to  this  state  of  constraint ;  not  that  I  was  of  much 
use,  for  I  was  simply  stupid  ;  but  I  was  the  cause  of  a 
general  movement  which  broke  the  ice.  After  the  intro- 
ductions, some  rubbers  were  arranged  ;  but  I  well  remem- 
ber that  no  one  attended  to  his  game.  My  sister  teased 
the  Marshal  by  reproaching  him   with   not  having  made 


no  MEMOIRS  OF 

himself  smart  enough  for  the  occasion.  He  wore  a  simple 
undress  uniform.  They  quarrelled  for  a  moment  in  fun. 
Supper  was  announced  at  nine  o'clock  ;  but  just  before,  we 
were  suddenly  dazzled  by  the  re-appearance  of  the  bride- 
groom, who  had  escaped  for  a  moment  and  now  returned 
in  his  full  uniform  as  a  Marshal  of  the  Empire.  It  was  the 
first  time  I  saw  him  in  all  his  splendour;  I  was  enraptured, 
and  my  admiration  was  in  different  degrees  shared  by  all 
the  witnesses. 

At  last  the  hour  came  ;  all  was  ready  at  the  Mayor's  ; 
we  rose  from  the  supper-table  to  step  into  the  carriages. 

A  crowd  of  people  of  our  acquaintance  filled  the 
approaches  and  rooms  of  the  inairie.  They  crushed  with 
an  eager  curiosity  to  catch  sight  of  the  Marshal,  who 
became  the  cynosure  of  all  eyes.  How  proud  I  felt  of 
him  !  All  the  details  are  still  present  in  my  mind  ;  and  I 
distinctly  remember  hearing  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs  the 
words  "  The  Duchesse  de  Reggio's  carriage  ! "  uttered  by 
the  Marshal's  chasseur,  who  was  thus  the  first  to  pronounce 
my  new  name. 

When  we  arrived  at  the  handsome  parish  church  ot 
Vitry,  the  scene  assumed  another  aspect;  and  during  the 
sacred  ceremony  I  saw  everything  confusedly.  The  church 
was  brilliantly  lighted  and,  in  spite  of  the  lateness  of  the 
hour  and  the  terrible  weather,  crammed  with  people.  I 
felt,  rather  than  saw,  my  family  grouped  behind  me,  while 
that  of  the  Marshal  and  all  the  uniforms  were  drawn  up 
behind  him. 

It  had  been  arranged  that  our  country  friends,  who  had 


I'.UGENIK   DF.   rolH-y 


MAi-. 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  in 

not  taken  part  in  the  gathering  of  the  preceding  day,  should 
be  invited  to  the  farewell  breakfast.  Accordingly,  on  the 
morning  of  the  20th,  I  found  assembled  in  the  drawing- 
room,  with  my  family,  Messieurs  and  Mesdanics  de  Bouvct, 
Duhamel,  de  Liniers,  &c.  Almost  all  the  other  wedding- 
guests  had  left.  Some  had  gone  back  that  morning  to  Bar  ; 
and  those  from  Paris,  who  were  almost  all  about  to  join  the 
coming  campaign,  had  hastened  back  to  their  families  and 
their  affairs  in  the  metropolis. 

The  end  of  breakfast  was  the  signal  for  departure. 
I  anxiously  watched  the  tearful  face  of  my  dear  mother, 
vainly  repeating  to  myself  that  I  was  only  leaving  her  for 
a  few  days. 

Soon,  the  sound  of  carriages  was  heard  and  farewells  ex- 
changed. I  was  pleased  to  see  my  sister  taking  her  place 
in  our  carriage,  which  set  out  drawn  by  six  horses  at  full 
speed.  The  Marshal  chatted  gaily  with  Christine,  leav- 
ing me  leisure  to  reflect  on  those  I  had  just  left  on  my 
mother's  doorstep,  throwing  me  their  last  adieux  and 
blessings. 

The  gates  of  the  mansion  at  Bar  stood  open  :  General 
de  Lorencez,  his  wife,  Victor,  and  M.  Gouy,  the  Marshal's 
bosom  friend,  who  had  all  left  Vitry  in  the  early  morning, 
were  awaiting  us.  I  also  saw,  for  the  first  time,  Colonel 
Chevallot,  an  old  and  faithful  friend  whom  }-ou  well  re- 
member. 

I  had  just  entered  my  room  when  I  was  roused  from  my 
meditation  by  the  sound  of  a  door  opening  behind  me.  It 
was  not  that  which  communicated  with  the  Marshal.     I 


112  MEMOIRS   OF 

was  quickly  reassured  by  hearing  a  light  footstep  and  a 
woman's  voice.  In  the  darkness  I  recognised  Mme.  de 
Lorencez.  "  I  have  come  to  ask  you,"  she  said,  "  whether 
you  do  not  think  you  should  pay  my  grandfather  a  visit 
at  home  before  meeting  him  at  dinner."  The  kindness  of 
this  reminder  moved  me  to  tears;  and  hastening  to  follow 
my  step-daughter  across  the  snow-covered  avenues  of  the 
garden,  I  let  her  guide  me  to  the  house  of  my  husband's 
father,  in  the  street  now  known  as  the  Rue  Oudinot.  He 
was  a  handsome  old  man  of  eighty-three ;  he  took  me  in 
his  arms,  and  I  was  happy  once  more  to  pronounce  the 
name  of  father,  a  word  which  I  had  not  uttered  for  five 
years. 

Early  the  next  day,  Victor  entered  my  room  ;  but  it  was 
another  Victor.  He  did  not  seek  to  conceal  his  emotion. 
He  came  to  ask  me  for  my  friendship ;  and  I  had  already 
inwardly  promised  it  him  before  he  asked  for  it.  You 
know,  my  children,  how  constant  it  has  been  on  both  sides. 
The  Marshal  was  charmed  with  my  account  of  my  inter- 
view with  his  son,  and  touched  with  the  impulse  which  had 
led  the  young  man  to  me. 

The  day  did  not  pass  without  some  emotions  recalling 
those  of  the  day  before.  For  instance,  I  was  much  tried  at 
the  sight  of  Mme.  Poriquet,  the  sister  of  the  late  Marechale, 
who  entered  trembling  and  all  in  tears  upon  her  husband's 
arm.  I  understood  all  that  this  formal  visit  must  have  cost 
her ;  but  I  have  cause  to  believe  that  she  guessed  the  sym- 
pathy which  her  situation  inspired  in  me,  for  from  that  day 
to  the  day  of  her  death  she  was  my  friend. 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  113 

The  Marshal's  correspondence  became  more  and  more 
active,  and  the  rumours  of  an  approaching  war  with  Russia 
increased  from  day  to  day.  My  husband  said  nothing  as 
yet,  and  I  was  careful  of  questioning  him  as  to  the  day 
of  our  separation,  the  vague  thought  of  which  so  often, 
phantom-Hke,  hovered  between  my  happiness  and  my- 
self. 

M.  Le  Tellier,  the  first  aide-de-camp,  had  gone,  but  he 
was  replaced  by  Messieurs  de  Thermes  and  Jacqueminot. 
The  latter,  who  was  a  native  of  Bar,  kept  the  whole  town 
moving.  So  soon  as  our  great  dinners  were  over  and  all 
the  guests  had  left,  messieurs  the  aides-de-camp,  abandoning 
their  full-dress  uniforms,  swords  and  head-dresses,  organized 
daily  soirees  dansantes^  in  concert  with  the  mothers  of  the 
young  girls  of  the  town. 

I  must  confess,  since  I  am  telling  all  that  concerns  me, 
that  the  first  details  that  reached  me  of  these  improvised 
balls,  in  which  formerly  I  would  so  gladly  have  taken  part, 
made  me  commit  the  sin  of  envy  ;  but  I  took  care  not  to 
let  this  be  seen,  realizing  that  I  had  taken  up  too  serious 
a  position  to  maintain  a  girlish  attitude.  Moreover,  a 
salutary  instinct  habitually  warned  me  against  what  was 
likely  to  displease  the  Marshal,  and  I  often  guessed  his 
thoughts  without  consulting  him. 

One  evening,  however,  somebody  had  thought  of  playing 
dance-music  in  the  dining-room  after  dinner.  There  had 
been  a  number  of  young  married  women  and  girls  at 
this  meal;  one  of  the  prettiest  of  the  latter  was  Mile. 
Henrionnet,  who  has  since  become  Mme.  Landry-Gillon. 


114  MEMOIRS  OF 

This  impromptu  dance  commenced  without  the  Marshal's 
seeming  to  disapprove  of  it,  and  without  further  reflection 
I  mingled  in  it.  I  saw  my  husband  disappear  from  the 
room,  and  soon  followed  him  to  his  study.  The  result  of 
our  interview  was  that  I  gave  up  dancing  for  good,  if  not 
without  regret,  at  least  without  a  struggle.  Besides,  events 
would  soon  have  put  an  end  to  this  form  of  amusement, 
even  if  my  mind  had  not  been  made  up  beforehand. 

The  Marshal  had  resolved  to  take  me  with  him,  and  to 
keep  me  by  his  side  so  long  as  the  military  operations  did 
not  assume  too  hostile  a  character.  You  can  imagine  my 
delight  at  learning  this  plan  !  Devoted  as  I  was  to  my 
husband,!  saw  at  first  nothing  but  the  happiness  of  delaying 
our  separation  ;  but  it  was  not  long  before  I  became  a 
little  alarmed  at  the  thought  of  the  new  era  about  to  open 
before  me.  I  foresaw  that  I  should  not  enjoy  the  Marshal's 
constant  presence,  as  at  Bar ;  and  I  dreaded  lest  I  should 
be  much  left  to  myself 

The  decision  taken  by  General  de  Lorencez  brought 
me  some  consolation.  He  had  been  appointed  chief  of 
staff  to  the  army  corps  commanded  by  the  Marshal,  and 
he  too  proposed  to  take  his  wife  with  him.  Mme.  de 
Lorencez,  who  was  only  sixteen  years  of  age,  was  morally 
thirty.  Habitually  silent  and  reflective,  she  could  never 
be  taken  for  indifferent,  so  prompt  was  the  expression  in  her 
deep  blue  eyes.  When  she  spoke,  the  sweetness  of  her 
voice  and  the  charm  of  her  pronunciation  atoned  for  any 
too  positive  laconicism  of  her  language.  At  rare  intervals 
she  was  capable  of  the  most  communicative  gaiety.     She 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT 


115 


was  religious  and  charitable,  and  fulfilled  all  her  duties  as 
a  natural  thing.  Every  affection  was  deep  and  serious  in 
that  loving  heart,  which  embraced  all  things.  And  finally 
her  figure,  her  gait,  her  whole  appearance  were  alike 
distinguished. 

The  want  of  time  and  the  severity  of  the  season  had 
prevented  my  making  acquaintance  with  the  younger 
children  of  my  husband.  The  little  girls  were  accordingly 
not  sent  for ;  both  were  at  school,  one  in  Paris,  the  other 
at  Nancy.  I  regretted  this  postponement,  when  one  day 
I  found  Auguste  in  his  father's  study.  More  easy  to  bring 
over  than  his  sisters,  the  Marshal  had  made  him  come  to 
embrace  us  before  our  departure.  I  see  him  still,  stand- 
ing by  the  mantel  in  his  college  dress  ;  and  even  if  I  had 
forgotten  him,  my  own  son  Henry  would  restore  to  me 
his  perfect  image. 

M.  Gouy  held  in  his  hands,  with  rare  devotion,  all  the 
strings  of  the  Marshal's  numerous  affairs.  He  conducted 
them  better,  with  more  zeal  and  application,  than  his  own, 
working  from  morning  to  night  to  put  everything  on  a 
good  footing  before  that  departure  which  might  leave 
everything  to  be  hoped  or  feared.  At  this  time  there 
were  as  many  as  seven  agents  of  the  Marshal's  diverse 
interests.  AH  of  these,  according  to  his  wishes,  came 
together  with  M.  Gouy,  who  each  year  summed  up  the 
general  situation.  His  penetrating  eye  discovered  any 
irregularity ;  he  would  point  it  out  in  his  positive  and 
often  harsh  phrases,  without  fearing  the  trouble  of  this 
work  for  himself,  nor  that  which  he  caused  the  Marshal, 


ii6  HE  MO  IRS  OF  MARSHAL  OUDINOT 

whom  he  opposed  without  hesitation  or  scruple  whenever 
he  considered  necessary. 

During  this  time  no  one  thought  (nor  did  I  dream  of  it 
myself)  of  initiating  me  into  the  management  of  this  fortune, 
of  which  I  had  but  a  very  confused  idea.  I  had  scarcely 
even  ventured  to  take  up  my  role  of  mistress  of  the  house ; 
for  to  give  an  order  of  any  sort  seemed  to  me  a  terrible 
business.  All  that  I  saw  I  thought  so  beautiful  that  I  took 
no  thought  of  the  reverse  of  the  medal.  I  therefore  let 
myself  live,  during  these  early  days,  without  asking  if  there 
were  any  other  duties  for  me  to  perform  than  that  of 
loving  my  husband  and  both  our  families. 


CHAPTER  IV 


Preparations  of  war  against  Russia — Departure  of  the  Due  and  Duchesse  de 
Reggie  for  the  army — Arrival  at  Munster — The  Princesse  d'Eckmiihl — 
The  entry  into  Berlin — The  Comte  de  Narbonne — Review  of  the  French 
troops  at  Berlin — Oudinot's  courtesy  and  consideration  towards  the  King 
of  Prussia — Increasing  certainty  of  war — Oudinot's  departure  for  Marien- 
werder — The  duchess's  return  to  Bar-le-Duc — The  crossing  of  the  Nieinen 
—  Oudinot  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  2nd  Corps — Victorious  at  Dewel- 
towo — His  operations  on  the  Dwina  against  Wittgenstein — He  lures  him 
into  an  awkward  position,  and  defeats  him  on  the  Drissa — Increasing 
difficulties  of  the  situation — Oudinot  seriously  wounded  at  Polotsk — The 
duchess  joins  him  in  Russia — Events  of  this  long  journey — Augereau — 
— First  symptoms  of  discontent — Arrival  at  Wilna — The  Due  de  Bassano 
— Oudinot  resumes  the  command — The  intense  cold — -The  retreat — Devo- 
tion of  M.  Abramowietz. 


We  were  a  large  travelling  party,  and  in  order  to  find  a 
sufficient  number  of  post-horses  at  every  station,  it  was 
necessary  to  spread  ourselves  on  the  road.  Two  aides-de- 
camp were  to  open  the  route  ;  then  came  General  and  the 
Comtesse  de  Lorencez  ;  and  the  Marshal  and  I  next,  ac- 
companied by  his  secretary  and  all  his  household,  in  two 
carriages  with  six  horses  apiece. 

At  last  the  day  of  departure  came;  and  here,  my  children, 
began  the  active  and  stormy  life  which  has  brought  me, 
from  excitement  to  excitement,  up  to  the  present  date.  I 
have  since  seen  many  happy  days;  immense  satisfactions, 
numerous  gratifications  awaited  mc;  but  these  were  destined 
to  be. mingled  with  so  many  trials,  and  crossed  with  such 


1,8  MEMOIRS  OF 

terrible  catastrophes,  that  I  should  infallibly  have  lost  my 
head  had  the  veil  of  the  future  been  for  a  single  moment 
raised  before  my  eyes. 

On  the  14th  of  February,  two  coaches  and  six  awaited 
us  in  the  court-yard  at  Bar.  They  set  out  before  us,  filled 
with  the  people  I  have  mentioned  above,  who  preceded  us 
as  far  as  the  village  of  Naives.  We  arrived  shortly,  in  a 
town  carriage,  in  which  my  mother,  my  sister  and  my 
brother-in-law  had  mounted  beside  my  husband  and  my- 
self After  exchanging  our  sad  farewell  adieux,  I  stepped 
alone  with  the  Marshal  into  the  first  post-carriage. 

Till  that  day  I  had  always  moved  in  a  narrow  and 
monotonous  circle.  All  was  new  to  me;  and  though  the 
road  from  Bar  to  Verdun  has  nothing  very  remarkable  to 
offer  the  traveller,  and  on  this  occasion  was  all  covered 
with  snow,  I  made  remarks  on  everything  I  saw. 

It  was  night  when  we  pulled  up  at  the  Hotel  des  Trois 
Maures.  The  charm  of  an  inn  has  long  since  disappeared 
from  my  eyes  ;  but  under  the  circumstances  I  am  describ- 
ing to  you,  everything  seemed  delicious  to  me.  Our  gaiety 
added  to  the  value  of  all  things.  The  Marshal,  delighted 
at  returning  to  a  life  of  activity,  seemed  radiant,  and  every- 
one underwent  the  same  influence. 

It  was  Shrove  Tuesday.  Our  windows  were  on  the 
street,  and  we  lost  none  of  the  carnival  uproar  that  went 
on  beneath.  We  were  wide  awake  when  they  came  to  tell 
us,  before  day-break,  that  the  horses  were  put  to.  A  chill 
sleet  was  falling,  and  it  was  not  until  the  sun  put  to  flight 
the  mist  that  I  was  enabled  to  resume  my  observations  of 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  119 

the  day  before.     These  amused  the  Marshal,  who  said  to 
me  more  than  once,  "  Isn't  the  world  large  ?  " 

The  same  day  we  passed  through  Dun,  Stenay  and 
Sedan.  We  were  to  sleep  at  Mezieres,  the  first  fortified 
town  I  had  seen.  The  ramparts,  the  draw-bridges,  the 
gloomy  archways,  beneath  which  our  heavy  carriage 
rumbled,  filled  me  with  a  fright  which  tickled  the 
Marshal.  We  alighted  at  a  well  -  warmed  and  wcll- 
lighted  apartment,  where  the  Marshal  forthwith  received 
numerous  visits.  I  was  astonished  at  the  resignation  with 
which  he  submitted  to  this  performance  at  the  close  of 
a  tiring  day ;  but  I  soon  learnt  to  grow  used  to  it.  He 
knew  and  received  people  wherever  he  went.  Notably 
soldiers  of  all  grades  arrived  from  every  side  ;  and  their 
eagerness  was  explained  by  the  amiable  manner  in  which 
they  were  welcomed. 

The  subsequent  days  we  followed  the  banks  of  the 
Meuse  by  way  of  Namur,  Liege  and  Maastricht ;  and 
on  the  fourth  we  reached  the  Rhine,  which  we  crossed 
by  a  bridge  of  boats  at  Wesel.  On  the  sixth  day  we 
were  to  reach  Munster,  where  the  Marshal  was  to  take 
the  command  of  the  first  forces  of  the  2nd  Corps  of  the 
Grande  Armee.  A  military  reception  had  been  prepared 
for  the  General-in-Chief;  and  he  was  greatly  annoyed  to 
find  the  roads  so  bad  that  we  were  still  two  leagues  from 
the  city  when  night  came  to  overtake  us. 

Despite  the  darkness,  I  perceived  a  group  of  men  on 
horseback,  who  came  crowding  round  the  carriage.  Manly, 
jovial,  resounding  voices  all   simultaneously  addressed  the 


I20  MEMOIRS  OF 

Marshal,  who  recognized  by  his  voice  each  of  the  generals 
who  were  to  find  themselves  under  his  orders.  All  spoke 
at  once,  each  gave  his  name  to  make  sure  of  being  recog- 
nized, and  in  each  name  the  Marshal  seemed  to  find  that 
of  a  friend.  Alas !  what  sad  reflections  that  recollection 
evokes.  Of  those  ten  or  twelve  generals,  all  then  in  the 
prime  of  manhood,  not  one  remains  alive  to-day. 

We  reached  the  gates  of  Munster,  escorted  by  this  dis- 
tinguished company.  The  garrison  turned  out  under  arms 
and  formed  in  line  to  the  house  of  Baron  von  Drott,  where 
we  were  to  stay.  There  was  no  reception  that  night ;  but 
the  next  morning  the  entire  corps  of  officers,  amounting  in 
all- to  twelve  hundred  persons,  arrived  in  full  uniform,  with 
the  generals  at  its  head,  to  pay  its  official  visit,  and  my 
distress  was  great  when  I  heard  from  the  Marshal  that 
after  himself  I  was  to  receive  these  gentlemen,  who  had 
asked  to  be  presented  to  me.  I  had  therefore  to  summon 
up  great  resolution.  It  nearly  failed  me,  however,  at 
the  first  step  I  took  in  the  vast  salon,  round  which  was 
ranged  a  three-fold  row  of  officers,  waiting  silently  for  me 
to  appear  among  them.  Suspecting  my  shyness,  the 
generals  stepped  forward  at  once.  They  very  obligingly 
surrounded  me  ;  I  felt  my  spirits  return,  and  my  timidity 
was  thus  concealed  from  the  greater  number. 

Yet  another  social  duty  was  laid  upon  me.  The  French 
were  at  that  time  the  masters  everywhere,  and  obtained  on 
every  hand  an  amount  of  homage  which  never  failed  them. 
It  was  perhaps  to  our  power  at  that  time  that  I  owed  the 
extreme  politeness  of  the  ladies  of  Munster.     Perhaps  also, 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  121 

and  I  prefer  to  think  so,  the  Marshal's  great  name  and 
pure  renown  contributed  to  this  cordiality  ;  but  the  fact  is 
that,  on  the  second  night  after  my  arrival,  I  had  to  receive, 
at  their  own  request,  an  endless  number  of  countesses, 
baronesses  and  abbesses.  This  last  title,  which  at  first 
astonished  me,  is  borne  in  that  country  like  the  two  first, 
and  carries  with  it  neither  ecclesiastical  character  nor 
obligations.  The  Munster  abbesses  were,  like  the  other 
ladies  of  the  nobility,  their  companions,  covered  with 
rouge,  with  flowers,  feathers  and  jewels.  They  were  all 
charming  to  me,  and  I  returned  their  collective  visit  at 
what  they  called  their  club,  where  they  met  in  great 
numbers  one  evening  to  receive  me. 

Several  emigrants  of  1791  were  also  present  at  our 
receptions.  They  had  met  with  so  hearty  a  welcome 
during  their  exile  from  the  numerous  nobility  of  the 
district  that  many  of  them  had  settled  down  there. 
Among  these  were  the  Comte  de  Flamarens  and  the 
old  Comte  de  Sesmaisons.  At  Munster,  too,  I  first  met 
the  Abbe,  who  was  then  known  as  the  Baron,  Louis.  He 
was  charged  by  the  Emperor  with  the  financial  organiza- 
tion of  the  country  ;  for  Munster  was  the  capital  of  a 
French  prefecture,  with  the  Comte  de  Saillant  for  its 
prefect. 

We  next  went  to  the  pretty  town  of  Hanover,  where  we 
were  to  stay.  I  spent  part  of  our  sojourn  in  visiting  the 
city  ;  and  with  General  and  Mme.  de  Lorencez  I  went  over 
the  famous  hot-houses  of  Hcrrnhausen,  a  plcasance  occu- 
pied by  Jerome  Bonaparte,  the  King  of  Westphalia. 
9 


,22  MEMOIRS  OF 

On  the  second  day  after  our  arrival,  we  entertained  at 
dinner  a  number  of  French  generals,  who  were  gathered 
in  the  town,  where  the  cavalry  was  being  re-horsed.  To 
amuse  these  gentlemen  after  dinner  we  played  at  I'oversis, 
but  although  my  step-daughter  Lorencez  and  I  were  not 
naturally  inclined  to  disparage  or  mock  at  our  friends,  we 
had  great  difficulty  in  retaining  a  simultaneous  burst  of 
laughter  when  it  came  to  the  turn  of  General  Duverger, 
one  of  the  four  plaj^ers,  to  deal.  Tall  and  lean,  his  hair 
powdered  and  dressed  into  two  pigeon-wings,  which  had 
quite  gone  out  of  fashion,  he  had  the  appearance  of  a 
mummy  in  uniform.  He  only  just  touched  the  cards  with 
the  tips  of  his  fingers,  without  moving  his  elbows,  and  yet 
they  came  to  us  straight  as  rain.  I  never  saw  anything 
hke  it.  I  hope  that  this  worthy  and  antiquated  son  of  Mars 
paid  too  little  attention  to  matters  of  this  earth  to  notice 
the  movements  of  our  youth.  Our  two  husbands,  who 
had  seen  everything,  reproached  us  at  night  for  our  tem- 
pestuous gaiety,  although  they  made  allowances  for  the 
fact  that  Mme.  de  Lorencez  and  I  were  only  thirty-six 
years  old  between  us. 

From  Hanover  we  went  to  Brunswick,  and  thence  to 
Magdeburg,  where  we  alighted  in  a  large  house  on  the 
parade-ground.  Marshal  Davout  had  just  left  it  to  go 
forward  with  his  army  corps,  and  in  connection  with  this  I 
will  tell  you  of  a  singular  mistake  on  the  part  of  his  wife, 
whom  he  had  sent  for  to  see  him  before  he  went  further. 
It  was  before  she  arrived  that  he  received  the  order  to 
push  forward  immediately.     The  Princesse  d'Eckmuhl  had 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  ir^ 

not  had  time  to  hear  of  this  change  of  plan.  She  arrived 
from  Paris  during  the  night  following  our  installation  at 
Magdeburg,  and,  on  mentioning  her  name,  had  the  city 
gates  opened  for  her,  although  it  was  after  hours.  She 
simply  told  the  postilions  to  drive  her  to  the  Marshal's, 
and,  when  they  pulled  up  at  our  door,  she  naturally  wished 
to  be  admitted.  This  was  refused  her;  she  sent  for  the 
aide-de-camp  on  duty,  and  although  she  did  not  recognize 
him  as  belonging  to  Marshal  Davout,  she  insisted.  It  was 
then  that  M.  Le  Tellier  said  to  her  that  this  noise  would 
awaken  Mine,  la  Ularcchale !  At  these  words  the  Princesse 
d'Eckmiihl  demanded  and  obtained  explanations,  and  M. 
Le  Tellier  naturally  placed  himself  at  her  disposal  to  find 
her  a  lodging  for  the  remainder  of  this  night,  so  stormy 
for  her.  She  breakfasted  with  us  the  next  day,  and  we 
laughed  together  at  the  misunderstanding. 

She  was  at  that  time  exceedingly  handsome,  very  much 
the  princess,  and  very  magnificent  in  her  manners.  I  have 
always  been  on  good  terms  with  her ;  but  although  our 
husbands  used  the  second  person  singular  in  addressing 
one  another,  we  never  became  intimate. 

To  return  to  our  departure  and  to  our  journey,  which 
was  resumed  by  military  stages.  It  was  a  sign  of  the  war, 
to  which  we  were  drawing  near.  My  husband's  carriage, 
in  which  I  occupied  a  corner,  travelled  in  the  midst  of  his 
army  corps.  These  were  the  orders  we  had  received. 
Nevertheless,  when  within  two  days  of  Berlin,  he  thought 
he  would  be  able  to  enter  it  alone  ;  but  the  Prince  de 
Neuchatel,  Major-General  of  the  army  and  interpreter  of 


124  MEMOIRS  OF 

the  Emperor's  wishes,  hearing  of  this,  reproached  my 
husband,  and  ordered  him  to  return  to  the  2nd  Corps 
and  make  a  triumphal  entry  at  its  head  into  the  Prussian 
capital. 

France  and  Prussia,  which  was  nominally  our  ally,  were 
in  a  very  delicate  position.  Nobody  doubted  but  that  the 
friendship  was  forced  rather  than  voluntary  on  the  part  of 
Prussia,  and  the  result  proved  this  to  be  the  case.  King 
Frederic  William  was  to  supply  a  contingent  in  the  event 
of  war  with  Russia,  and  naturally  to  permit  the  passage  of 
our  army.  But  while  awaiting  its  arrival  he  had  hastened 
to  quit  his  capital  and  retire  with  his  family  to  Potsdam. 
My  husband  was  fully  acquainted  with  this  position  of 
affairs,  and  his  intention  in  entering  Berlin  alone  had  been 
to  spare  the  King  of  Prussia  the  display  of  a  triumphal 
entry  into  his  capital.  The  Marshal  thought  it  sufificient 
to  accomplish  a  fact  without  wounding  by  the  forms  with 
which  it  was  done  ;  but  this  was  in  no  way  the  policy  of 
the  Emperor. 

We  alighted  at  the  Saken  Palace,  made  ready  and  fur- 
nished for  the  Marshal  by  order  of  the  King  of  Prussia, 
who  moreover  had  sent  in  a  complete  domestic  establish- 
ment: valets,  butlers,  cooks,  footmen,  and  two  town  car- 
riages with  their  horses,  the  whole  to  be  at  the  General- 
in-Chief's  disposal  during  the  whole  length  of  his  stay. 

Although  surprised  and  vexed  at  this  munificence,  the 
Marshal  felt  that  he  was  not  at  liberty  to  refuse  it ;  and  I 
may  add  that  this  constraint  bore  upon  him  during  all  the 
time  he  remained   in   the  town,   where,  as  elsewhere,  he 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  125 

succeeded  in  joining  the  military  and  diplomatic  interests 
entrusted  to  him  with  the  consideration  due  to  the  power 
of  a  Sovereign  offended  in  his  own  country. 

France  was  represented  at  Berlin  by  the  Comte  de 
Saint-Marsan,  a  Sardinian  by  birth  and  an  excellent  man, 
which  did  not  prevent  him  from  being  a  brilliant  and 
subtle  diplomatist.  He  and  your  father  understood  each 
other  capitally  from  the  first.  A  little  later  there  was 
added  to  them  the  Comte  Louis  de  Narbonne,  at  that  time 
aide-de-camp  to  the  Emperor  and  standing  very  high  in 
his  favour. 

All  the  memoirs  of  the  time  speak  of  this  remarkable 
personage.  I  will  only  tell  you  that  at  a  very  early  age  he 
was  Minister  of  War,  for  a  moment,  under  Louis  XVI.,  and 
that  he  only  saved  his  head  by  emigrating.  Later,  when 
the  time  came,  the  Emperor  gave  him  an  excellent  recep- 
tion, and  began  by  paying  some  debts  of  which  he  had 
heard.  A  little  later  still,  the  Emperor  discovered  some 
others,  and  said  to  M.  de  Narbonne,  "  But,  my  dear  count, 
have  you  still  more  debts.''"  "Why,  Sire,  it  is  all  I  ever 
had."  And  the  Emperor  paid  again,  and  the  dear  old  man 
consecrated  to  him  until  his  dying  day,  which,  alas,  was 
not  slow  in  coming,  his  devotion,  his  loyalty  and  his  high 
intelligence. 

It  was  he  who  was  charged  with  negociating  the  marriage 
between  the  Emperor  and  the  Archduchess  Maria  Louisa 
of  Austria.  To  a  profound  knowledge  of  men  and  things, 
and  a  loyal  and  well-considered  scheme  of  policy,  he  added 
a  charming  wit.     He  was  a  man  of  fine  manners,  and  he 


126  MEMOIRS  OF 

restored  the  tradition  of  these  to  the  new  Court  of  the 
Tuileries.  I  shall  never  forget,  not  only  the  exquisite 
grace  which  he  displayed  in  his  relations  with  us,  but  also 
the  kindness  with  which  he  sent  me  news  of  the  Marshal 
from  head-quarters,  at  a  time  when  I  was  trembling  for  his 
safety. 

But  to  resume  my  story.  The  Marshal  was  accordingly 
obliged  to  ride  at  the  head  of  his  forty  thousand  men,  and 
I  saw  them  march  past  from  our  Ambassador's  windows. 
It  was  a  splendid  sight !  Who  could  have  foretold  then 
that  those  numerous  battalions,  that  brilliant  cavalry,  that 
fine  and  imposing  artillery  would  for  the  greater  part  re- 
main sunk  in  the  snows  of  Russia,  nine  short  months  later  ? 

As  I  was  in  Berlin,  as  it  were,  as  contraband,  1  remained 
indoors  as  much  as  possible,  delighted  when  my  husband's 
ever  multiplying  obligations  permitted  him  to  join  me.  In 
the  midst  of  this  immense  palace,  I  by  preference  used  a 
little  silent,  secluded  drawing-room,  which  was  decorated  in 
perfect  taste.  It  contained  a  pretty  tea-table  which  I  was 
told  had  been  placed  there  for  me  and  which  had  belonged 
to  the  beautiful  Queen  of  Prussia. 

My  health  was  somewhat  indifferent,  and  compelled  me 
to  dine  by  myself,  in  order  to  avoid  the  fatigue  of  a  table 
always  occupied  by  my  husband's  military  household  and 
a  crowd  of  visitors.  Nevertheless  the  Marshal  sometimes 
insisted  on  my  appearing  to  entertain  some  notability 
brought  there  by  circumstances.  In  this  way  I  made  the 
acquaintance  of  Marshal  Victor,  Due  de  Bellune,  Marshal 
Ney,   Due   d'Elchingen,   and    Generals    Sebastiani,  de  La 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  127 

Riboisiere  and  many  others,  some  of  whom  passed  through 
Berlin  never  to  return. 

It  was  said  that  the  Emperor  was  preparing  to  leave 
Paris  to  place  himself  at  the  head  of  the  forces  drawn  up 
in  echelon  from  the  Rhine  to  the  Vistula,  and  divided 
into  twelve  army  corps,  amounting  in  all  to  four  or  five 
hundred  thousand  men. 

Marshal  Davout  commanded  the  ist  Corps  ;  he  had 
under  him  General  Pajol,  who  commanded  the  cavalry. 
The  latter  had  with  him  his  wife,  whom  I  had  not  seen 
since  she  became  my  step-daughter.  When  the  ist  Corps 
received  its  marching  orders,  General  Pajol  resolved  to 
send  his  wife  to  join  her  father  in  Berlin,  so  that  her  journey 
back  to  France  might  coincide  with  mine.  I  was  much 
moved  when  I  saw  her.  Although  my  friendship  with 
your  elder  sister  was  longer  in  forming  than  that  with  her 
junior,  it  became  none  the  less  sincere,  as  you  were  enabled 
to  judge  during  the  short  time  you  were  permitted  to  know 
Mme.  Pajol.  Yes,  the  years  developed  in  her  those  quali- 
ties of  heart  and  charms  of  mind  of  which  she  had  brought 
such  fertile  roots,  and  I  mourned  her  the  more  since  she 
had  never  given  me  greater  proofs  of  affection  than  at  the 
moment  when  she  was  taken  from  us  in  so  crushing  a 
manner. 

But  to  return  to  the  days  of  our  first  relations,  I  must 
say  that  we  were  only  in  perfect  accord  in  our  regrets  at 
the  approaching  separation  from  our  husbands  and  our 
terrible  fears  of  what  was  to  follow.  She  described  to  us, 
with  sorrowful  energy,  her  adieux  at  Dantzig,  where  she 


,28  MEMOIRS  OF 

had  left  General  Pajol ;  and  she  told  us  that,  when  her 
carriage  broke  down  six  leagues  from  there,  she  had 
thought  herself  happy  in  being  able  to  exaggerate  the 
difficulties  of  her  position  in  the  midst  of  a  disordered 
country  in  order  to  send  for  her  husband  to  come  to  her 
assistance  and  thus  embrace  him  yet  once  more  in  spite  of 
what  they  had  regarded  as  their  final  leave-taking.  Ah  ! 
at  that  time  the  adieux  of  soldiers  and  their  families  were 
cruel  indeed. 

At  last  the  fatal  day  also  approached  for  Mme.  de 
Lorcncez  and  myself.  The  order  to  depart  arrived,  and 
while  the  Marshal  prepared  to  set  out  for  Marienwerder, 
he  gave  orders  and  made  arrangements  to  send  his  two 
daughters  and  me  back  to  Bar-le-Duc. 

On  the  2nd  of  May  1812,  five  post-carriages  obstructed 
the  court-yard  of  the  Saken  Palace.  The  Marshal  and 
General  Pajol  despatched  the  three  first,  which  contained 
us  and  our  belongings,  and  then  stepped  with  their  officers 
into  the  two  others,  which  took  the  opposite  direction,  pro- 
ceeding towards  the  seat  of  war  while  we  went  towards 
France. 

My  two  step-daughters  bore  with  them  expectations  of 
motherhood  which  had  been  denied  to  me,  and  my  grief  at 
the  moment  was  so  intense  that  it  prevented  me  from 
thinking  of  the  consolation  that  awaited  me  of  meeting  my 
family  again,  Mme.  Pajol,  who  was  alone  in  her  carriage, 
went  ahead  to  order  our  night's  lodging.  I  followed  in 
mine,  accompanied  by  Mme.  de  Lorencez,  who  had  begged 
to  be  with  me.     In  our  third  carriage  were  M.  Boudart,  the 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  129 

General's  secretary,  and  our  women.  I  saw  nothing  with 
my  eyes;  I  only  felt  that  each  stride  of  the  horses  carried 
us  further  away  from  those  we  loved,  and  my  grief  was 
such  as  almost  to  amount  to  despair.  How  I  suffered  that 
day !  We  arrived,  shattered  body  and  soul,  at  our  first 
halting-place,  Truinbrisen,  a  horrid  little  town  between 
Berlin  and  Wittemberg. 

It  was,  I  believe,  at  our  third  stop  that  an  extraordinary 
incident  occurred.  Mme.  Pajol,  who  had  already  been  over 
the  road,  traced  our  itinerary  with  great  intelligence,  and 
tried  always  to  keep  in  front  of  us,  so  as  to  prepare  what 
was  necessary.  But  this  time  our  three  carriages  arrived 
almost  simultaneously  at  the  appointed  place.  It  was  a 
lonely  post-house,  standing  at  the  foot  of  a  mountain.  It 
was  still  broad  daylight,  and  we  perceived  a  number  of 
carriages  with  armorial  bearings,  and  a  great  movement  of 
horses  and  livery  servants  in  the  courtyard.  We  made  for 
our  rooms  across  this  hubbub  ;  but  soon  we  were  at  our 
windows  to  witness  the  departure  of  Prince  Eugene  de 
Beauharnais,  for  it  was  he,  on  his  road  to  rejoin  the  Grande 
Armee.  He  caught  sight  of  us,  enquired  who  we  were,  and 
came  up  the  staircase  straightway.  No  sooner  did  we  see 
him  take  this  unexpected  direction  than  a  panic  seized  all 
three  of  us.  Without  knowing  what  she  was  doing,  Mme. 
Pajol  snatched  her  sister's  cashmere  shawl ;  the  latter 
struggled  to  retain  it ;  and  I  vainly  sought  an  outlet  for 
escape.  All  this  was  the  business  of  two  seconds,  and  the 
Prince  entered  before  we  had  resumed  our  countenances. 
However,  Mme.  Pajol  managed  to  reply  suitably  to  Jose- 


130  MEMOIRS  OF 

phinc's  amiable  son,  who  had  all  the  charm  and  grace  of 
his  mother.  He  came,  he  said,  "  to  take  our  messages  for 
our  husbands."  But  I  was  and  remained  stupid.  Later  I 
wept  for  shame  and  regret.  I  wrote  my  confession  to  the 
Marshal  that  very  night  before  going  to  bed,  and  fell  asleep 
in  all  humility.  I  learned  afterwards  that  Prince  Eugene, 
when  he  met  the  Marshal,  showed  extreme  consideration 
in  the  manner  in  which  he  related  this  anecdote. 

As  we  approached  Mayence,  we  heard  that  the  Emperor 
was  on  the  road  to  join  the  army,  and  that  we  ran  a  chance 
of  being  short  of  horses.  By  travelling  night  and  day,  we 
succeeded  in  reaching  Metz  before  him,  and  shortly  after- 
wards we  reached  the  end  of  our  journey,  Bar-le-Duc. 

I  visited  every  corner  of  my  house  in  tears,  and  the 
Marshal's  room  in  particular.  There  everything  seemed  to 
speak  of  him.  I  even  seemed  to  recognize  the  smell  of  his 
pipe,  and  hugged  the  illusion.  There  are  moments  in  life 
when  one  loves  to  accentuate  one's  sorrow ! 

At  last  the  Marshal's  first  letter  arrived.  The  sight 
alone  of  his  handwriting  on  the  address  caused  me  so  great 
an  emotion  that  it  was  long  before  I  could  grasp  the  mean- 
ing of  his  expressions  of  affection.  There  is  something 
more  sacred  in  the  written  than  in  the  spoken  word.  It  is 
as  though  nothing  could  destroy  or  alter  what  is  thus 
sworn  to  us.  Mme.  de  Lorencez  also  had  a  charmino- 
letter  from  her  husband,  who  was  not  to  leave  mine.  It 
was  not  the  same  in  Mme.  Pajol's  case  ;  the  ist  Corps,  to 
which  the  General  belonged,  seemed  destined  to  strike  the 
first  blow,  whereas  the  Marshal,  who  had  arrived  at  Marien- 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  131 

werder,  had  not  as  yet  received  his  marching  orders,  and 
for  the  moment  I  breathed  again. 

Soon  M.  Gouy  arrived.  He  came  to  instal  me  in  the 
position  which  he  wished  to  see  me  take  up  at  the  head  of 
that  household  in  which,  so  far  as  authority  was  concerned, 
I  had  till  then  remained  a  mere  nullity.  And  at  last  came 
my  mother,  accompanied  by  M.  and  Mme.  de  la  Gueriviere; 
and  in  the  happiness  of  this  meeting  and  the  busy  life  I 
led  I  found  the  only  salutary  remedy  for  my  increasing 
distress.  During  the  war,  naturally  all  amusements  were 
suspended.  My  uncle  brought  with  him  Enguerrand,  that 
charming  boy,  who  came  enraptured  with  joy  at  the 
promise  that  on  his  leaving  Saint-Cyr,  where  he  was 
going,  my  husband  would  take  him  as  his  aide-de-camp. 
Alas  ! 

The  whole  army  had  crossed  the  Vistula ;  and  as  it 
advanced  upon  the  Niemen,  letters  came  with  less  fre- 
quency- 
It  was  about  this  time  that  I  was  told  one  morning  that 
the  mistress  of  the  boarding-school  at  Nancy  to  which  my 
husband  had  sent  my  little  step-daughter  Stephanie,  had 
arrived  at  Bar  with  the  child,  whom  I  took  to  live  with  mc 
at  home.  Her  little  heart  opened  out  to  me  ;  and  from  the 
very  first  day  commenced  that  intimacy  between  us  which 
nothing  has  ever  broken. 

At  last  war  was  openly  declared,  and  our  army  marched 
beyond  the  Niemen  without  as  yet  finding  the  opportunity 
for  the  great  battle  which  every  one  was  expecting.  Slight 
and  partial  engagements  alone  fed  the  ardent  interest  with 


13«  MEMOIRS  OF 

wliich  tlic  letters  and  newspapers  were  received.  In  those 
days  the  post  from  abroad  came  only  four  times  a  week. 
Those  were  moments  of  fever  when  it  arrived,  and  the 
intervals  were  days  in  which  we  painfully  vegetated  and 
counted  the  hours. 

I  was  expecting  a  bust  of  my  husband,  which  an  artist  of 
some  talent  had  executed  in  Berlin  during  our  stay  there. 
One  day  a  large  case  arrived  from  Germany.  I  dragged  my 
mother  away  to  come  and  see  it  opened.  Palpitating  with 
eagerness  I  saw  the  lid  removed,  and  then  the  first,  second 
and  third  covers  of  paper  in  which  it  was  wrapped.  What 
was  my  horror  at  seeing  one  of  the  plaster  shoulders 
smashed  and  ready  to  fall  from  the  body.  A  fatal  thought 
seized  hold  of  my  imagination  ;  and  it  was  realized  but  too 
well,  for  a  few  days  later  the  Marshal  had  his  shoulder 
shattered  by  a  ball  of  grape-shot ! 

After  a  halt  at  Marienwerder,  on  the  Vistula, 
Oudinot  crossed  the  Niemen,  with  the  rest  of  the 
army,  above  Kowno  (24  June).  He  was  to  form 
the  left  with  the  2nd  Corps,  received  orders  to  cross 
the  Vilia,  and  directed  himself  towards  the  north 
upon  Vilkomir.  His  first  engagement  at  Dewel- 
towo,  on  the  morning  of  the  28th,  revealed  to  him 
from  the  commencement  the  nature  of  this  deceptive 
war  ;  it  was  hardly  possible  to  touch  Wittgenstein's 
rear-guard,  although  this  sustained  a  severe  check  ; 
and  the  enemy  dispersed,  protecting  himself  against 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  133 

us  by  means  of  his  endless,  desolate  and  forbidding 
plains. 

The  Emperor  with  the  Grande  Armee  followed  the  line 
of  Moscow,  endeavouring  to  provoke  one  of  those  battles  of 
giants  which  he  had  always  been  able  to  turn  to  his  advan- 
tage ;  while  on  the  left  he  had  detached  the  corps  of  Oudi- 
not  and  Macdonald  in  the  direction  of  St  Petersburg.  The 
army  opposed  to  my  husband  was  commanded  by  Wittgen- 
stein, the  Russian  General-in-Chief  He  had  at  last  re- 
solved to  deliver  the  battle  which  had  hitherto  been  refused 
to  the  Grande  Armee ;  and  several  combats  had  taken 
place.  After  one  of  the  first  of  these,  the  Marshal  wrote  to 
me,  with  no  other  details,  "  Be  easy,  my  dear ;  the  bullets 
refused  to  touch  me,  because  my  bones  are  too  hard."  A 
joke  which  failed  to  enliven  me,  I  assure  you.  But  his 
letters  came  more  and  more  irregularly.  Sometimes,  after 
long  days  of  anguish,  they  would  be  delivered  to  me  in 
a  heap.  Then  I  lost  my  head,  broke  all  the  seals  at  once, 
and  gazed  at  the  pages  spread  out  before  me  with  fright- 
ened eyes  which  distinguished  nothing. 

I  was  in  this  mood  when  one  day  I  received  a  letter 
written  on  sugar-loaf  paper.  It  bore  the  stamp  of  Vitebsk, 
and  the  writing  was  unknown  to  me : 

"  Vitebsk,  3  July. 

"  You  gave  me  leave,  Madame  la  duchesse,  to  write  you 
one  note  for  each  victory.  I  beg  a  thousand  pardons  for 
delaying  so  long ;  but  here  is  one,  with  every  condition 


134  MEMOIRS  OF 

fiillillcd  ;  and  as  you  may  well  believe,  it  was  our  Bayard 
who  won  it.  Alas,  I  was  not  there  ;  but  I  have  at  least 
the  happiness  to  announce  to  you  that,  at  the  cost  of  a 
scratch  on  his  liand,  he  has  just  taken  twenty  pieces  of 
cannon  and  three  thousand  men,  and  the  barbarian  has 
killed  four  thousand. 

"  With  this,  Madame  la  duchesse,  accept  the  respectful 
homage  of  your  old  servant, 

{Signed)     "  L.  Narbonne." 

I  was  deeply  touched  with  the  fulfilment  of  this  promise, 
which  I  had  taken  for  one  of  those  obliging  speeches  of  the 
man  of  the  world.  The  details  were  soon  confirmed  by  the 
Marshal  himself,  who  only  suppressed  the  scratch,  of  which 
he  never  spoke  to  me.  His  letters  were  always  full  of 
affection  for  me  ;  but  they  were  written  at  a  gallop  on 
every  odd  and  end  of  paper  he  could  find.  They  smelt  of 
powder  and  the  bivouac.  Sometimes  also  I  received  news 
of  the  Grande  Armee  from  Moscow  through  Victor,  my 
step-son,  an  officer  in  the  Chasseurs  of  the  Imperial  Guard 
and  permanently  attached  to  head-quarters. 

Oudinot  was  alone  at  the  head  of  an  important 
command,  far  removed  from  head-quarters,  and,  with 
the  exception  of  instructions  which  became  daily 
more  rare,  was  left  to  his  own  initiative.  This 
honour  came  to  him  in  the  most  thankless,  unknown 
and  desolate  country  in  the  world,  and  at  a  time 
when  there  blew  as  it  were  a  bitter  blast  of  bad  luck, 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT 


135 


the  forerunner  of  vaguely  foreseen  disasters.  Many 
another,  senior  to  him  and  rocked  till  then  by  suc- 
cess, was  suddenly  to  awaken  in  surprise  and  find 
himself  an  unlucky  officer  in  these  last  great  sorrow- 
ful years. 

He  nevertheless  bore  a  good  countenance  in 
spite  of  the  overpowering  fatigue.  The  heat  was 
like  lead  on  that  unsheltered  soil.  He  himself  said 
that  he  had  never  suffered  so  terribly,  even  in  Italy  ; 
not  suspecting  that,  through  the  bitter  irony  of  that 
climate,  we  should  be  ravaged  in  three  months'  time 
by  the  two  contrary  excesses  of  temperature.  His 
officers,  who  worshipped  him,  and  who  suffered  at 
seeing  him  thus  oppressed,  went  out  at  night  into 
the  neighbouring  woods  and  gathered  branches 
which  they  planted  over  his  head,  so  that  this  im- 
provised arbour  might  bring  him  some  relief  at 
waking. 

Napoleon,  after  vainly  endeavouring  to  hem  in 
Prince  Bagration  in  the  south,  returned  north  to 
attempt  a  similar  manoeuvre  against  Barclay  de 
Tolly,  whom  he  wished  to  hold  in  check  behind  the 
Dwina.  He  himself  established  his  head-quarters  at 
Glouboukoe,  between  Drissa  and  Polotsk.  Oudinot, 
who  was  already  on  the  Dwina,  marched  up  the 
river   by   its    left   bank   and    fiercely  cannoned   the 


136  MEMOIRS  OF 

ciiLiny  at  Dwinaburi;-.  Only  Barclay  also  had  fallen 
back,  according  to  the  prudent  tactics  of  the  Russians; 
and  Napoleon,  deceived,  but  fascinated  by  the  mirage 
of  Moscow,  plunged  eastwards  into  the  country  of 
the  devastating  steppes.  He  ordered  Oudinot  to 
resume  his  movement  upon  St  Petersburg  and 
to  continue  to  press  against  Wittgenstein. 

The  Due  de  Recririo  crossed  the  Dwina  at  Polotsk, 
and  the  Drissa  at  the  ford  of  Sivotschina.  On  the 
29th  of  July,  Legrand's  division,  which  formed  the 
advance-guard,  was  sharply  attacked  by  the  enemy. 
The  Marshal  flew  to  its  assistance,  maintained  the 
combat  at  every  point,  drove  back  the  Russians  with 
the  bayonet,  and  would  certainly  have  crushed  them, 
if  they  had  not  succeeded  in  taking  refuge  in  a  small 
wood,  where  they  were  able  to  mask  themselves 
under  cover  of  their  artillery.  Their  advantageous 
position  prevented  us  from  continuing  the  fight  to 
good  purpose.  Oudinot  saw  that  it  was  no  use 
insisting  for  the  moment ;  but  he  did  not  despair  of 
enticing  the  enemy  into  making  some  dangerous 
mistake.  Feigning  a  retrograde  movement,  he 
crossed  back  to  the  left  bank  of  the  Drissa,  and  there 
established  himself  in  a  strong  position.  The  Rus- 
sians, growing  bolder,  committed  the  imprudence  of 
crossing  the  river  on  the  night  of  the  31st  of  July. 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  137 

So  soon  as  he  perceived  this,  the  Due  de  Reggio 
completed  his  measures  :  the  artillery  crowned  the 
heights  ;  a  regiment  of  infantry  ensconced  itself  in  a 
coppice  on  the  left  of  the  road  ;  the  light  horse  occu- 
pied the  right,  and  the  Cuirassiers  remained  in 
reserve.  He  gave  orders  to  let  the  enemy  advance 
within  reach  of  the  cannon,  and  then,  when  the 
moment  had  come,  to  charge. 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  the  report  he 
addressed  that  night  to  Berthier  : 

Besala,  i  August  1812,  10  P.M. 

The  Russians  at  first  offered  a  sharp  but  useless  resist- 
ance. They  were  overturned  in  a  moment  and  thrown  into 
the  Drissa,  leaving  in  our  hands  fourteen  guns,  thirteen 
wagons,  and  over  two  thousand  prisoners.  We  drove 
them  fighting  before  us  for  three-quarters  of  a  league  to  the 
river ;  the  ground  is  covered  with  their  dead.  I  have  seen 
few  battle-fields  offer  so  great  a  display  of  carnage. 

Unfortunately  Oudinot  was  not  in  a  position  to 
profit  by  his  success.  The  2nd  Corps  had  suffered 
greatly  since  joining  the  campaign  ;  fatigue,  priva- 
tions, combats,  dysentery  and  desertions  had  in  a 
very  little  time  reduced  it  to  half  its  strength,  and  it 
numbered  little  more  than  twenty  thousand  men. 
Even  when  reinforced  on  the  6th  of  August  by  the 


138  MEMOIRS  OF 

tliirtecn  thousand  Bavarians,  led  by  General  Gouvion- 
Saint-Cyr,  it  was  difficult  for  it  to  take  the  offensive 
.IS  the  Kniperor  wished.  Nevertheless,  a  few  days 
of  repose  enabled  it  to  resume  its  movement  north- 
wards. 

The  Marshal  crossed  the  Drissa  once  more  and 
atlvaiiccd  upon  the  Swaina,  which  separated  him 
from  the  Russians.  He  tried  in  vain  to  draw  them 
into  hghtini^.  Then,  not  feeling  very  sure  of  his 
position,  and  fearing-  lest  his  right,  which  he  was 
unable  to  guard,  should  be  turned,  he  resolved  to 
retrograde  and  to  place  himself  close  to  Polotsk, 
between  the  Dwina  and  its  affluent  the  Polota. 
Wittgenstein,  w^ho  was  watching  all  our  movements, 
retiring  when  we  advanced  and  advancing  when  we 
retired,  thought  the  moment  favourable  to  attack. 
On  the  1 6th,  he  was  kept  at  a  respectful  distance. 
The  next  day,  the  17th,  the  combat  w^as  renewed  at 
eight  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Oudinot  resisted 
energetically,  while  accentuating  his  retreating  move- 
ment upon  the  left  bank  of  the  Dwina.  Our  troops 
were  exhausted  by  their  marches  and  counter- 
marches and  scorched  by  the  heat,  and  at  two 
o'clock  a  battalion  of  \^oltigeurs  gave  way.  The 
Marshal,  rushing  to  make  it  return  to  its  position, 
was  struck  seriously  in  the    shoulder  by  a  ball  of 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT 


139 


grape-shot  and  obliged  to  hand  over  the  command 
to  Gouvion-Saint-Cyr. 

He  was  carried  to  a  Jesuit  convent,  where  the 
Fathers  gave  him  the  first  necessary  cares,  and  from 
there,  as  he  was  incapable  for  the  time  of  returning 
to  the  head  of  his  troops,  he  was  moved  to  Wilna, 
where  he  arrived  on  the  20th  of  August.  There  he 
was  soon  joined  by  his  young  wife,  who  did  not 
hesitate  to  face  the  journey. 

The  Comtesse  Pajol  had  left  for  Paris,  accompanied  by 
Mine.  Poriquct,  who,  with  a  solicitude  worthy  of  a  mother, 
wished  to  be  present  at  the  moment  of  her  confinement. 
In  order  to  spare  her  as  much  fatigue  as  possible,  I  had 
lent  her  my  firmly-built  and  easy-going  travelling  carriage, 
which  my  husband  had  given  me  and  which  I  had  used  for 
my  journey  from  Berlin.  I  had  kept  hers,  which  was  less 
comfortable  and  half  worn-out  with  long  service.  You 
shall  see  why  I  mention  this  trifling  circumstance. 

It  had  long  been  agreed  between  my  husband  and  myself 
that  I  should  proceed  before  the  end  of  the  summer,  with- 
out him,  alas  !  to  pay  my  wedding  visits  to  Lentilles  and 
Hancourt,  stopping  for  a  few  days  at  Vitry  to  renew 
acquaintance  with  my  friends  there  ;  and  I  relied  upon  this 
lattiPr  diversion  to  assist  me  in  passing  a  few  days  of  this 
terrible  period.  For  my  alarms  seemed  more  and  more 
well-founded,  and  there  was  general  anxiety  about 
the  march  of  the  Emperor,  who  was   penetrating  beyond 


,^o  MEMOIRS  OF 

all  expectation  into  those  distant  regions.  People  were 
beginning  to  ask  how  and  when  we  should  get  out  of  it; 
and  this  hrst  doubt  of  the  infallibility  of  our  star  astonished 
every  one  painfully. 

However,  while  awaiting  the  post,  we  were  to  make  an 
excursion  to  all  our  favourite  spots  in  the  neighbourhood. 
I  had  been  ready  some  time,  and  was  waiting  for  the  others 
in  the  drawing-room,  when  my  mother  entered. 

"How  fine  you  are!"  I  said,  noticing  the  beautiful 
costume  she  had  put  on  that  morning.  It  was  a  cambric 
peignoir,  lavishly  garnished  with  lace. 

"  I  may  have  looked  fine  this  morning,"  she  replied, 
"but  .  .  ." 

It  needed  no  more  to  apprise  me  of  a  misfortune ;  and 
I  at  once  believed  the  worst.  And  when,  after  striking 
the  first  blow,  they  endeavoured  to  add  some  details,  I 
uttered  such  loud  screams  that  it  was  some  time  before 
my  family,  grouped  around  me,  could  make  themselves 
understood.     At  last  my  uncle  shouted  into  my  ear : 

"  But  he's  only  wounded  !  " 

I  heard  him  suddenly,  and  opened  my  eyes,  w^hich  till 
then  I  had  kept  closed,  as  though  to  keep  out  the  dreadful 
news. 

My  uncle  showed  me  the  Moniteur,  and  through  my  sobs 
I  read  a  paragraph  which  I  have  not  before  me,  but  of 
which  the  following  was  the  purport : 

"On  the  i/th  of  August,  at  the  moment  when  the  Due 
de  Reggio  was  ready  to  reap  the  fruits  of  victory,  he  was 


MARSHAL  OUDINOr  141 

struck  down  by  a  ball  of  grape-shot  in  the  shoulder.  The 
wound,  though  serious,  is  not  hopeless.  The  Marshal  has 
been  carried  to  the  rear  of  the  army,  and  he  will  be  taken 
to  Wilna." 

"  I  must  go  to  Wilna  at  once,"  I  cried.  "  Mother,  uncle, 
you  must  let  me  go." 

"You  shall  go,"  they  replied. 

"Yes,"  added  my  Aunt  Clotilde,  "and  my  husband  shall 
accompany  you  .  .  ." 

Great  grief  is  always  selfish  ;  I  at  once  accepted  this 
great  sacrifice  without  calculating  its  extent  for  my  uncle 
and  aunt. 

"Let  us  go,  let  us  go!"  I  cried.  "My  God,  shall  I  find 
him  aliv^e .'' " 

During  the  crisis  produced  upon  me  by  this  terrible 
doubt,  some  of  them  waited  on  me,  while  others  occu- 
pied themselves  actively  with  the  arrangements  for  my 
departure.  An  hour  later,  we  were  on  the  road  to  Vitry, 
and  in  spite  of  the  darkness  and  the  roads,  which  were 
soaked  by  a  storm,  in  spite  of  the  flood  of  the  Marne, 
which  we  had  to  ford,  we  made  good  progress,  and  in  the 
middle  of  the  night  we  reached  Vitry,  where  we  were 
expected. 

"  Did  you  meet  the  second  post  which  we  sent  you 
yesterday  evening?"  asked  Rosalie,  running  up  to  the 
carriage.  We  then  learnt  to  our  despair  that  the  trouble 
and  eagerness  we  had  displayed  would  turn  against  us. 

A  fever  of  impatience  overcame  me  when  I  learnt  that 


,^2  MEMOIRS  OF 

that  mcsscnrrcr  was  the  bearer  of  a  letter  from  the  army. 
It  was  sent  to  me  from  15ar  by  Mme.  de  Lorencez,  who  did 
not  lose  a  moment,  and  sent  her  own  coachman  with  it. 
We  all  counted  the  moments  until  he  arrived.  At  last  a 
paper  was  placed  in  my  hands  upon  which  I  recognized, 
though  I  could  not  read  them,  a  few  lines  in  the  Marshal's 
handwriting.  "  He  is  not  dead,  he  has  not  lost  his  arms  ! " 
I  cried.     This  was  all  I  was  able  at  first  to  grasp. 

The  precious  document  was  passed  from  hand  to  hand, 
and  when  I  had  recovered  sufficient  consciousness,  I  read 
as  follows : 

"  My  Eugenie,  if  you  learn  of  my  wound  through  any 
other  channel,  do  not  be  alarmed  at  it.  for  it  will  not,  I 
hope,  be  dangerous.  However,  it  will  compel  me  to  with- 
draw to  the  rear  and  to  leave  the  army.  I  shall  not  be 
able  to  write  to  you,  because  of  the  lack  of  communications 
(20  August)." 

Although  weak,  the  writing  had  not  lost  all  its  character, 
and  I  breathed  again. 

To  this  letter  General  de  Lorencez  had  added  a  very 
precious  note,  containing  these  words  : 

"  M.  le  marechal  has  charged  me  to  recommend  you  not 
to  undertake  so  long  a  journey  to  join  him  ;  but  believe 
me,  follow  the  impulse  of  your  heart." 

If  I  had  not  already  made  up  my  mind,  the  General's 
letter  would  have  settled  the  matter.     I  now  thought  only 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  143 

of  reaching  Bar.  I  arrived  there  in  the  morning  accom- 
panied by  my  mother  and  my  uncle  ;  but  a  cruel  hinder- 
ance  awaited  me  there.  My  travelling-carriage  was  in 
Paris,  and  I  v/as  assured  that  the  one  which  Mme.  Pajol 
had  left  me  in  temporary  exchange  could  never  resist  a 
hurried  journey  of  six  or  seven  hundred  leagues.  We 
should  have  run  the  risk  of  breaking  down  a  score  of  times. 
I  had  no  chance  but  hastily  to  despatch  an  intelligent 
servant  with  injunctions  to  bring  me  back  my  berlin,  of 
which  I  foresaw  the  usefulness  to  my  dear  wounded. 

The  posting  arrangements  were  at  that  time  perfectly 
organized,  especially  if  one  paid  the  postillions  well.  And 
yet  three  days  passed  between  his  setting  out  and  his 
return.  Three  leaden  days,  which  were  spent  by  all  around 
me  in  making  preparations  for  the  journey  in  which  I  was 
utterly  incapable  of  assisting.  I  only  remember  having 
twenty  bottles  of  claret  put  into  the  boot  of  the  carriage, 
before  which  I  would  readily  have  prostrated  myself  when 
I  saw  it  arriving  on  the  morning  of  the  12th  of  September. 

The  day  was  spent  in  loading  it,  and  our  departure  was 
fixed  for  six  o'clock  in  the  evening.  At  last  the  postillions' 
whips  gave  the  signal.  Every  one  rose  in  tumult  and 
followed  me.  The  horses  galloped  off  so  fast  that  it  was 
not  until  we  reached  the  village  of  Naives  that  I  recovered 
my  spirits.  There,  at  his  old  mother's  door,  Jacqueminot 
the  senator  stood  waiting  for  me,  and  handed  me — he 
crying  too — his  messages  for  his  son.  In  those  days  no 
one  was  certain  that  a  message  addressed  to  a  combatant 
would  reach  its  destination. 


,^4  MEMOIRS  OF 

The  weather  was  magnificent  ;  we  travelled  at  high 
speed,  and  I  felt  the  better  for  it  ;  for  a  forced  movement 
is  perhaps  the  most  powerful  alleviation  of  the  great 
sorrows  of  the  soul.  Besides,  did  not  each  turn  of  the 
wheels  bring  me  nearer  the  one  spot  in  the  universe  to- 
wards which  all  my  thoughts  were  directed  ? 

At  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  reached  Metz,  and 
knocked  at  M.  Gouy's  door.  His  wife  and  he  were  soon 
up;  and  our  faithful  friend  said  to  me,  "  I  felt  certain,  even 
if  you  had  not  let  me  know,  that  you  would  start  for  Wilna. 
I  have  got  ready  for  you,  in  case  you  need  them,  six 
thousand  francs  in  gold.  Will  you  have  them  ?  Here 
they  are." 

I  had  the  necessary  funds,  however,  and  could  only  thank 
the  dear  good  man. 

On  the  morning  of  the  14th  we  arrived  at  Mayence,  rest- 
ing for  a  moment  only  at  the  Hotel  des  Trois  Couronnes, 
so  well  known  to  all  the  army.  But  our  fatigue  was  so 
great  by  the  evening  that  we  took  a  few  hours  sleep  at 
Hanau.  This  was  our  only  repose  between  Bar  and 
Berlin. 

So  soon  as  we  arrived  at  the  capital,  I  sent  in  all  direc- 
tions for  news.  What  was  my  surprise  to  see  the  Comte 
de  Saint-Marsan,  our  Ambassador,  come  hurrying  up  to  me 
with  a  letter  for  me  from  my  husband  in  his  hand.  Before 
asking  how  he  had  come  by  it,  I  loaded  the  excellent  man 
with  blessings !  My  husband  told  me  in  a  few  lines,  and 
in  a  firmer  handwriting,  that  he  was  bearing  his  journey 
well  and  travelhng  slowly  to  Wilna. 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  r^5 

To  explain  the  delivery  of  this  letter  I  must  tell  you  that 
I  had  written  from  Bar  to  the  Due  de  Feltre,  the  Minister 
of  War,  telling  him  of  my  departure,  and  asking  him  for 
some  kind  of  chart  of  the  road  which  might  facilitate  my 
journey  in  case  of  difficulties.  The  Minister  of  War  had 
made  known  my  departure  along  the  road  that  I  was  to 
travel,  through  the  auditor  to  the  Council  of  State  who 
regularly  carried  the  official  news  from  Paris  to  the 
Emperor.  I  believe  one  of  these  gentlemen  used  gener- 
ally to  leave  every  week.  They  often  crossed  on  the 
road,  and  invariably  stopped  at  the  French  Embassy  in 
Berlin.  M.  de  Saint-Marsan,  when  going  through  the 
bag  of  the  returning  auditor,  took  out  to  give  to  me  the 
letter  of  which  I  have  spoken.  *'  I  have  made  known 
your  departure,"  said  the  count,  "and  as,  in  spite  of  your 
diligence,  my  young  men  travel  still  faster  than  you  do, 
your  arrival  will  be  announced  beforehand  to  the  Due  de 
Bassano,  and  consequently  also  to  your  husband." 

This  news  was  so  good  that  I  decided  to  yield  to  my 
uncle's  persuasion  and  to  stay  one  day  in  Berlin.  The 
opportunity  was  taken  to  mend  my  carriage,  which  had 
been  greatly  tried  by  the  three  hundred  leagues  we  had 
travelled,  and  also  to  fill  it  with  provisions,  which  I  grate- 
fully accepted  at  the  hands  of  the  kind  friends  I  had  found 
there,  although  I  was  then  far  from  suspecting  the  penury 
that  was  soon  to  threaten  us. 

The  second  notable  person  who  came  to  see  me  at  my 
hotel  was  Marshal  Augereau.  It  was  the  first  time  I  saw 
the  husband  of  my  fair  compatriot.     He  was  tall  and  broad, 


^^6  MEMOIRS  OF 

spoke  loudly,  and  reminded  me  a  little  of  the  drum-major 
whom  I  had  always  regarded  in  my  childhood  as  the  chief 
of  a  regiment.  I  spoke  to  him  of  his  delicious  wife,  of 
whom  he  showed  me  a  charming  miniature.  He  was 
thinking  of  sending  for  her  to  come  to  him,  and  in  rather 
strange  terms,  which,  however,  were  quite  natural  with  him, 
he  said,  "  I  have  told  her  to  get  her  doeskin  breeches  ready 
for  the  journey."  But  altogether  the  Due  de  Castiglione 
was  not  only  very  obliging  but  full  of  solicitude  for  my 
welfare  ;  and  taking  my  uncle  aside,  he  urged  him  most 
expressly  not  to  allow  me  to  travel  at  night  beyond  Custrin, 
the  first  place  at  which  I  was  to  sleep.  "  Yield  to  no  en- 
treaties, for  the  road  that  follows  is  the  most  difficult  part 
of  the  Mar^chale's  long  and  painful  journey.  Once  beyond 
the  Oder,  you  may  find  it  covered  with  the  highwaymen, 
deserters  and  robbers  who  usually  follow  in  the  wake  of 
an  army."     My  uncle  took  his  advice  and  followed  it. 

On  the  third  day,  I  took  leave  not  only  of  our  Ambas- 
sador and  of  the  marshal,  but  of  a  number  of  other 
superior  officers,  who  had  all,  from  devotion  for  my  hus- 
band, shown  me  every  kindness. 

Berlin  passed,  one  finds  the  deep  sand  which  makes 
travelling  so  difficult.  Nothing  seems  to  me  more  melan- 
choly than  the  country  between  the  Prussian  capital  and 
the  city  of  Custrin,  a  fortified  town  on  the  Oder,  General 
Fournier  d'Albe  was  in  command  of  our  garrison,  and  warned 
by  my  courier  of  our  arrival,  he  sent  a  messenger  to  beg 
me  to  come  to  his  house,  w^here  the  most  amiable  reception 
awaited  me.     "  In  this  sad  exile,"  he  said,  when   he  had 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  147 

installed  me  in  his  best  rooms,  "  my  only  consolation  is  at 
least  to  be  of  some  use  to  those  joining  the  army." 

From  Custrin  we  travelled  to  Marienwerder.  The  sand 
grew  deeper.  The  relays  were  irregular,  and  at  long 
distances ;  at  each  we  increased  the  number  of  horses, 
but  the  poor  worn-out  teams  went  no  faster,  and  night 
fell  as  we  descended  through  a  gloomy  forest  towards  the 
bank  of  the  Vistula.  As  the  slope  was  a  steep  one,  we 
alighted  from  the  carriage,  and  it  was  not  till  that  night, 
when  we  had  reached  our  lodging,  that  my  uncle  told  me 
he  had  distinctly  seen  a  large  wolf  a  few  paces  from  us,  in 
that  forest  which  seemed  so  wild  that  it  might  have  been 
the  undisputed  domain  of  those  redoubtable  inhabitants. 

We  crossed  the  river  on  a  bridge  of  boats.  Had  I  then 
been  travelling  for  my  pleasure,  I  should  have  keenly  re- 
gretted seeing  nothing  of  that  country,  which  had  already 
been  covered  by  our  armies  in  a  former  war.  But,  as  you 
know,  I  was  absorbed  in  the  present.  I  observed,  on 
reaching  the  inn,  where  my  courier  had  preceded  me,  that 
everything  was  brightly  lit  up,  and  that  there  was  a 
general  air  of  movement ;  and  I  soon  learnt  that  this  was 
in  our  honour,  or  rather  in  memory  of  the  Marshal,  who 
had  recently,  at  the  head  of  his  army,  left  so  good  a  re- 
putation for  equity  in  strength  that  they  did  not  think 
they  could  ever  do  enough  for  one  bearing  his  name. 
However,  they  charged  us  pretty  dear  for  the  splendid 
repast  and  the  room  of  fifty  covers  in  which  my  uncle  and 
I  supped  tete-dtcte  amid  a  multitude  of  candles.  This  was 
our  last  acquaintance  with  luxury  and  civilization. 


,48  MEMOIRS  OF 

I  will  cut  short  the  details  of  our  painful  journey  across 
that  endless  sand,  interspersed  with  a  few  pine-forests  and 
a  number  of  ponds,  and  bring  you  within  sight  of  the 
Baltic.  For  six  leagues  we  followed  one  of  its  arms  called 
the  Freschaff.  Wretched  fisher-huts  form  the  only  dwell- 
ings of  these  melancholy  shores,  giving  all  the  greater 
brilliancy  to  the  town  of  Konigsberg  when  it  comes  into 
view  with  its  port  and  its  many  steeples. 

At  any  other  time,  the  sea,  which  I  now  saw  for  the 
first  time,  would  have  aroused  my  keenest  interest.  But 
I  saw  everything  through  the  medium  of  a  single  idea, 
and  my  first  thought  was  to  ask  the  French  general  com- 
manding the  district  for  news  that  might  interest  me. 

General  Loison  commanded  at  Konigsberg,  and  he  was 
at  my  hotel  within  half-an-hour  after  receiving  my  message. 
He  began  by  reassuring  me  as  to  the  Marshal's  health, 
without,  however,  giving  me  the  details  I  wanted. 

"  But  where  do  you  expect  to  find  the  Marshal  ? "  he 
asked. 

"Why,  at  Wilna,"  I  replied,  in  alarm  .  .  . 

"  He  is  no  longer  there,  madame." 

A  thousand  confused  and  terrible  ideas  traversed  my 
mind  before  I  had  found  time  to  question  him  afresh.  I 
felt  as  though  I  were  going  mad,  but  my  uncle,  more  calm, 
elicited  the  facts.  It  was  a  vague  rumour  which  had  reached 
General  Loison,  who  was  not  even  able  to  say  in  what 
direction  the  Marshal  was  travelling. 

"Perhaps  he  is  returning,"  I  cried;  "and  how  do  you 
know  I  shall  not  meet  him  on  the  road  ?  " 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  i+g 

*No,  madame,"  replied  the  General;  "if  your  husband 
has  moved,  it  would  not  be  in  this  direction." 

"  Well,  I  shall  follow  him,  wherever  he  is  !  "  I  cried,  in  my 
despair.  "  No,  I  have  not  travelled  five  or  six  hundred 
leagues,  and  undergone  all  these  days  of  torture  and 
uncertainty,  only  to  retrace  my  steps  ;  and  if  it  is  only  for 
an  hour,  I  mean  to  see  the  Marshal." 

I  had  had  courage  so  long  as  I  was  travelling  towards 
a  fixed  point,  to  which  each  step  brought  me  nearer.  But 
now  !  And  moreover  I  also  heard  that  the  Emperor  had  for- 
bidden all  wives  of  officers,  of  whatever  rank,  to  go  beyond 
the  Vistula ;  whereas  I  was  approaching  the  Niemen.  In 
proof  of  his  statement,  the  General  told  me  he  had  been 
requested  by  the  Governor  of  Wilna  to  find  a  lodging  at 
Konigsberg  for  his  wife,  whom  he  had  been  obliged  to 
send  back  from  Wilna,  where  she  had  followed  him  in 
all  confidence. 

"  We  must  put  our  trust  in  God,"  I  said  to  my  uncle,  as 
we  climbed  into  our  carriage  at  daybreak,  in  pouring  rain. 
This  downpour,  which  made  our  moods  still  gloomier,  con- 
tinued for  three  consecutive  days,  and  greatly  increased 
the  difficulties  of  the  journey.  We  no  longer  drove  through 
the  thick  sand  which  we  had  found  from  Berlin  to  Konigs- 
berg, but  over  thick  mud,  in  which  we  sank  up  to  the  hams 
of  the  wretched  little  horses  of  the  country.  This  part 
of  Prussia  is  said  to  be  fertile  and  prosperous,  but  I  was 
not  there  to  study  the  country.  The  execrable  roads, 
the  delays  necessitated  by  our  having  to  find  horses 
where  there  were  so  few,  had  upset  all  the  arrangements 


,  JO  MEMOIRS  OF 

for  our  stoppages  ;  and  I  do  not  know  exactly  how  much 
time  was  spent  over  this  second  part  of  our  journey,  which 
was  drenched  in  the  most  abundant  rain  I  had  ever  seen 
in  my  life.  It  redoubled  in  force  when,  long;  after  night- 
fall, wc  arrived  at  Insterburg. 

The  first  lodging  at  which  the  carriage  pulled  up  was 
occupied  entirely,  we  were  told,  by  a  detachment  rejoining 
the  army.  It  was  the  same  thing  at  the  second,  and  so  on  ; 
and  I  since  learnt  that  no  less  than  ten  thousand  men  were 
stationed  that  night  in  the  little  town. 

My  poor  servants,  who  had  received  the  torrents  falling 
from  the  skies  throughout  the  day,  excited  my  warmest 
pity  ;  and  I  must  confess  that  we  were  all  worn  out,  body 
and  soul.  It  would  have  been  very  cruel  to  spend  that 
night  without  shelter.  At  last  we  took  a  great  resolve, 
and  Carl,  a  young  Prussian  footman,  was  sent  to  knock  at 
the  door  of  the  Commandant  of  the  town. 

My  uncle  slept  outside  my  door,  for  want  of  a  bed  ;  but  at 
least  he  was  sheltered  from  the  deluge,  which  descended 
more  fiercely  than  ever.  We  set  out  before  daybreak. 
It  was  pitiful  to  behold  the  difficulties  of  our  progress 
through  roads  soaked  through  with  the  rain.  However, 
we  arrived  without  any  accident  at  Gumbinnen,  where 
we  found  a  lodging.  The  next  day  we  noticed  that  the 
route  we  were  following  bore  more  and  more  traces  of 
the  disasters  which  war  brings  with  it.  Not  only  did  the 
horses  become  more  scarce,  but  their  owners  waxed  very 
distrustful  (we  had  long  passed  the  limit  of  the  postal 
administration,  which   had    become  wholly  disorganized). 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  151 

Every  villager  wanted  to  follow  his  animal,  to  be  quite 
sure  that  he  should  get  it  back  ;  and  one  day  I  had  four 
postillions  to  eight  horses.  And  such  horses  !  And  such 
postillions !  The  first  were  harnessed  with  odds  and  ends 
of  ropes  and  cords  ;  the  second,  dressed  in  sheepskins, 
resembled  savages. 

Food  became  scarcer  as  we  advanced,  and  one  morning 
we  were  very  happy  to  find  at  the  bottom  of  a  locker  a 
remnant  of  sausage  which  had  formed  part  of  the  presents 
of  our  friends  at  Berlin.  We  were  really  famished  when 
we  arrived  at  Marienpol.  The  distressful  air  of  the 
country  boded  no  good.  We  were  therefore  agreeably 
surprised  when  we  saw  appear  at  the  door  of  a  tumbledown 
inn  a  prepossessing  Frenchwoman,  who  offered  us  two 
chickens,  which  we  seized  upon  without  waiting  to  have 
them  cooked,  reserving  them  for  our  supper  at  Kowno, 
where  we  hoped  to  arrive  that  evening. 

Kowno,  on  the  banks  of  the  Niemen,  the  last  river  I 
should  have  to  cross,  seemed  to  me  the  outpost  of  my 
destination. 

W^e  pursued  our  slow  and  unequal  progress  along 
roads  that  were  no  longer  traced.  Night  surprised  us  at 
the  most  wretched  lodging  we  had  yet  met  with  ;  we  were 
compelled  to  stop. 

As  I  contemplated  the  repulsive  bed  they  offered  me, 
I  asked  if  it  was  the  best  they  had. 

"  Yes,"  they  replied,  "  because  the  best  room  is  occupied 
by  the  Princess." 

"  Who  is  that  Princess  they  speak  of  ?  "  I  asked  my  uncle, 


152 


MEMOIRS  OF 


who  enquired  and  found  it  was  the  Princess  of  Hohenlohe, 
wife  of  the  Dutch  General  van  Hogendorp,  then  Governor 
of  VVihia.  Yes,  it  was  the  poor  woman  who  had  been  sent 
away  from  that  town  by  order  of  the  Emperor !  I  so 
greatly  pitied  her  fate  that  I  did  not  even  secretly  think  of 
envying  her  better  accommodation  ;  but  I  was  resolved 
not  to  leave  without  seeing  her.  I  made  them  bring  one  of 
the  two  little  mattresses  which  my  carriage  contained,  and 
spread  it  on  a  sort  of  bench  in  a  room  on  the  ground- 
floor  which  opened  upon  the  street.  My  uncle  slept  in  the 
carriage,  after  having  it  brought  up  against  the  window, 
and  overcome  with  fatigue,  I  soon  fell  asleep.  But  I 
awoke  with  a  start  at  the  sudden  entrance  of  a  man  into 
my  room,  smacking  his  whip  and  swearing.  At  my  first 
scream,  Mme.  Morel,  who  was  sleeping  on  a  pallet  near 
mine,  fell  upon  him  like  an  hyena.  He  was  so  taken  aback 
that  he  fled  for  his  life.  That  was  all;  but  I  was  unable  to 
get  asleep  again.  We  learnt  the  next  day  that  it  was  only 
an  army  courier  demanding  horses. 

This  alarm,  combined  with  my  desire  to  see  Mrs.  van 
Hogendorp,  kept  me  awake  till  daybreak ;  and  as  soon  as 
my  ear  caught  the  first  movements  announcing  her  de- 
parture, I  went  upstairs  to  the  "best  room"  which  she 
occupied.  What  a  hole  !  .  .  .  I  there  found  a  delicate  and 
distinguished  woman  dressing  a  poor  little  girl  of  six,  who 
seemed  to  have  nothing  left  in  her  but  her  breath.  A 
number  of  lady's  maids  were  making  up  parcels,  and  no 
one  seemed  astonished  at  the  eagerness  with  which  they 
were  preparing  to  leave  that  hovel.    On  hearing  my  name, 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  153 

Mrs.  van  Hogendorp,  when  she  had  recovered  from  her 
astonishment,  hastened  to  give  me  news  of  my  husband  in 
these  words  : 

"  I  left  him  about  six  days  ago.  His  wound  is  doing 
well ;  but  he  has  not  yet  thought  of  leaving  Wilna  to 
return  to  the  army,  for  in  spite  of  the  improvement  of 
which  I  speak,  he  would  not  for  the  present  be  able 
to  ride  his  horse." 

I  left  Mrs.  van  Hogendorp,  after  wishing  her,  from  the 
bottom  of  my  heart,  health,  happiness  and  a  speedy 
meeting  with  her  husband.  Alas  !  none  of  my  wishes 
were  fulfilled,  for  the  child  died  six  months  later,  and  the 
mother  followed  her  after  a  short  interval. 

At  Kowno,  I  found  an  aide-de-camp  of  my  husband's, 
who,  by  the  latter's  orders,  had  been  awaiting  me  for  the 
last  twenty-four  hours.  It  was  M.  Jacqueminot.  With  his 
usual  activity,  he  had  got  together  an  excellent  team  of 
horses  from  the  artillery  stationed  in  reserve  at  Kowno. 
This  would  enable  us,  without  having  recourse  to  other 
means,  to  cover  the  twenty-five  leagues  which  still  sepa- 
rated us  from  Wilna,  thanks  to  the  relays  prepared  before- 
hand. 

M.  Jacqueminot  joined  us  in  our  carriage,  and  at  last  I 
was  able  to  hear  the  details  I  had  so  longed  for.  He  con- 
firmed those  which  I  had  already  received  at  Berlin  through 
M.  de  Saint-Marsan.  It  was  the  latter  who  had  announced 
my  arrival,  and  "  for  the  last  five  days,"  said  the  young 
man,  "the  Marshal  is  exciting  himself  while  waiting  for 
you  ;  let  us  hurry." 


,54  MEMOIRS  OF 

'•r.iit,"  said  I,  in  great  distress,  "will  he  send  mc  away?' 

"lie  has  nrtt  the  slightest  wish  to  do  so,"  he  replied, 
laughing;  "  but  the  haiipcror  .  .   ." 

"Oh,  I  know,"  I  said  ;  "but  let  us  get  on  .  .  .  the  first 
thing  is  to  arrive." 

At  that  moment  it  became  necessary  to  alight  in  order 
to  push  back  the  carriage,  which  had  left  the  road.  It  was 
so  dark,  one  could  distinguish  nothing.  M.  Jacqueminot 
took  one  of  the  lanterns,  went  ahead  of  the  horses,  and 
succeeded  in  bringing  us  back,  not  to  the  road,  for  there 
was  none,  but  to  the  line  of  disasters  which  served  to  guide 
us.  \Vc  followed  him  on  foot,  with  sand  up  to  our  ankles, 
when  M.  Jacqueminot  returned  to  tell  us  the  result  of  his 
investigations,  and  urged  us  to  hurry  back  and  resume  our 
seats  in  the  carriage.  But  when,  by  the  light  of  his  lantern, 
he  saw  me  painfully  drawing  my  feet  from  the  sand,  he 
burst  into  one  of  those  fits  of  laughter  which  he  often  in- 
dulged in,  and  which  contained  more  sarcasm  than  gaiety. 

"What  a  strange  circumstance,"  he  said,  "is  your  pre- 
sence in  the  midst  of  this  desert,  madame  la  duchesse ! 
Oh,  that  all-devouring  ambition  which  leads  us  to  the  end 
of  the  world,  which  disorganizes  every  existence  and 
paralyzes  every  industry!  And  to  what  will  it  bring  us? 
We  are  all  done  for." 

This  diatribe,  the  first  I  had  heard  uttered  against  the 
Emperor  since  my  marriage,  this  violent  discontent  on  the 
part  of  a  man  who  was  as  brave  as  he  was  enthusiastic, 
petrified  me  with  surprise.     I  listened  in  silence. 

"Yes,"  he   continued,   "misfortunes    without   end  have 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  155 

already  reached  and  are  increasingly  threatening  our 
army  [the  Emperor  was  then  marching  upon  Moscow],  and 
I  do  not  know  which  of  us  will  ever  see  France  again." 

At  last  we  perceived  the  lights  of  a  house,  before  which 
the  horses  pulled  up.  I  was  taken  through  several  rooms 
which  seemed  to  have  been  devastated  before  being 
finished.  It  was  a  real  shed,  with  neither  floor  nor  ceiling  ; 
but  the  most  pleasing  reception  awaited  me  there.  Mmc. 
Oguinska,  a  charming  woman  of  about  thirty,  met  me  with 
amiable  alacrity.  She  spoke  French,  like  all  her  com- 
patriots, with  remarkable  ease.  She  made  her  excuses  for 
all  that  I  might  find  wanting  in  her  house,  owing  to  its 
position.  It  had  served  as  the  head-quarters  of  the  vari- 
ous armies  which  had  followed  one  another  along  this 
route,  and  I  understood  that  this  was  not  calculated  to 
revictual  the  place.  But  this  sad  incident  of  the  war  was 
not,  on  the  princess's  part,  the  object  of  any  direct  or 
covert  complaint. 

At  that  time,  the  Lithuanians,  including  the  women, 
were  all  under  the  charm  of  the  keenest  hopes.  At  the 
commencement  of  the  campaign,  they  had  rushed  in 
rapture  towards  the  Emperor,  seeing  in  him,  as  they 
thought,  the  restorer  of  their  liberty.  Poland  had  offered 
him  on  every  side  men,  arms  and  homage.  And  as  yet 
nothing  had  formally  belieJ  the  hope  which  they  had 
conceived. 

I  slept  little,  and  as  I  had  taken  my  leave  of  the  mistress 
of  the  house  the  evening  before,  I  set  out  without  dela}'  at 
daybreak.     But  the  roads,  ploughed  by  the  artillery,  were 


,56  MEMOIRS  OF 

worse  than  those  wc  had  followed  so  far.  Wc  made  hardly 
any  progress.  I  should  have  liked  to  help  the  horses  to 
drag  the  carriage.  I  tried  to  restrain  my  impatience,  but 
it  stifled  me. 

Towards  mid-day,  M.  Jacqueminot  found  a  country  cart 
in  a  sort  of  farm  which  had  been  left  standing,  and  decided 
to  go  on  in  front.  "  You  have  no  longer  anything  to  fear," 
he  said.  "  I  will  try  and  quiet  the  Marshal's  impatience 
by  announcing  your  arrival.  I  only  recommend  you,"  he 
added,  addressing  my  uncle,  "to  take  precautions  against 
the  rapid  descent  which  you  will  meet  with  two  or  three 
leagues  from  here." 

After  his  departure,  we  preserved  a  profound  silence.  A 
keen  joy  sometimes  closely  resembles  pain,  and  nothing 
can  issue  from  a  heart  when  its  impressions  are  too 
vivid.  As  it  reached  its  summit,  our  emotion  was  not 
of  a  nature  to  find  expression ;  but  we  were  suddenly 
relieved  from  the  indefinable  position  by  the  sight  of  a 
long  and  rapid  slope,  at  the  top  of  which  the  carriage 
had  stopped,  and  throwing  my  eyes  over  the  plain  which 
it  commanded,  I  uttered  a  piercing  cry.  Wilna  lay  before 
me. 

Leaping  with  joy,  I  descended  this  mountain  on  foot, 
this  white  and  icy  mountain,  which,  two  months  later,  was 
to  come,  like  a  great  ghost,  between  France  and  our  army, 
of  which  almost  all  that  remained  lay  down  in  death  at 
its  foot.  But  now  nothing  could  diminish  my  transports. 
And  yet,  during  the  two  leagues  that  remained  for  us  to 
travel,  we  found  many  a  portent  of  the  hideous  disaster 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  157 

which  was  drawing  nigh.  Among  the  wreck  of  artillery 
trains  bordering  the  roadway  were  a  number  of  dead 
horses,  some  already  reduced  to  skeletons,  others  to  a  state 
of  corruption  which  sent  a  fetid  odour  through  the  air. 
But  I  had  arrived  !  and  for  the  moment  I  was  proof 
against  any  other  sensation. 

Suddenly  I  heard  a  horse's  hoofs. 

"  Ah  !     M.  de  Thermes  !  "  I  exclaimed. 

He  had  been  despatched  by  my  husband  to  make  me 
come  faster. 

"  Hasten,  madame  la  duchesse,  hasten,"  he  said,  at  the 
carriage-door.  "  Since  Jacqueminot's  return,  the  Marshal 
is  counting  the  minutes.  And  then,  you  should  hurry  to 
get  out  of  this  atmosphere  ; "  and  the  young  man  galloped 
off  gaily,  adding,  "  I  am  going  to  announce  your  arrival." 

He  disappeared  from  sight  as  the  carriage  rolled  on  to 
the  paving-stones  of  Wilna. 

I  recognized  servants  in  the  Marshal's  livery.  The 
carriage  rolled  into  the  court-yard,  and  I  saw  him  .  .  .  him, 
with  his  most  gracious  expression.  He  stretched  out  his 
only  free  arm  to  embrace  me ;  the  other  was  in  a  sling. 
His  face  was  pale,  but  what  matter?  He  was  there.  I 
kissed  him;  he  spoke  to  me  with  infinite  tenderness. 
What  a  moment  of  happiness  ! 

He  next  turned  promptly  towards  my  uncle  and 
thanked  him,  with  his  captivating  courtesy,  in  words  which 
will  never  leave  my  memory.  All  the  staff  and  a  crowd 
of  people  whom  I  did  not  even  see  were  witnesses  of 
this  meeting,  which  sounds   so    cold  when  told  with  the 


.58 


MEMOIRS  OF 


pen,  thoucjh  its  memory  was  burnt  into  my  heart.  We 
all  climbed  the  staircase,  and  Icavin^c^  behind  us  the  multi- 
tude who  followed  us,  we  three  entered  his  room,  and 
there  followed  the  reciprocal  questionings,  the  cross-fire  of 
enquiries  and  replies  which  are  the  delights  of  reunion.  A 
few  favoured  friends  were  then  gradually  admitted,  but  I 
did  not  complain.  When  one  is  happy,  one  loves  and  re- 
ceives everybody.  Besides,  all  those  who  accompanied  the 
Marshal  excited  my  interest,  down  to  his  servants,  headed 
by  the  brave  and  worthy  Pils. 

We  dined  in  private,  but  the  conversation  of  us  three 
was  sometimes  interrupted  by  the  bursts  of  noisy  festivity 
of  the  staff,  who  were  dining  in  full  mess  in  the  next  room. 
The  Marshal  evidently  enjoyed  this  gaiety,  while  paying 
my  uncle  the  most  delicate  attention.  My  heart  swam  in 
happiness  ;  everything  smiled  to  me.  The  Marshal's  voice 
alone  did  me  so  much  good  that  I  tried  to  make  him  talk 
without  stopping.  The  sight  of  his  two  arms  fixed  safely 
to  his  shoulders  after  that  wound  was  a  special  delight. 

Quite  unable  to  eat,  I  asked  for  something  to  drink. 
They  gave  me  some  red  wine  and  water,  which  made  me 
pull  a  horrid  grimace. 

"  Ah,  ah  !  "  said  the  Marshal,  "  you  don't  like  wine  made 
without  grapes." 

This  reminded  me  of  my  twenty  bottles  of  Bordeaux. 
They  were  unpacked  and  brought  up,  and  I  presented  them 
in  triumph  to  my  cripple.  He  had  one  placed  on  our  table, 
but  sent  the  nineteen  others  to  his  staff,  whose  joy  and 
animation  were  redoubled.     I  was  certainly  charmed  to  be 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  159 

of  use  to  them  ;  but  I  must  nevertheless  confess  that  I  re- 
gretted the  rapid  disappearance  of  this  httle  comfort,  which 
I  had  brought  for  the  Marshal,  and  I  did  not  quite  know 
what  to  reply  to  the  thanks  the  gentlemen  came  and 
offered  me. 

We  were  still  at  dinner  when  a  dazzling  elegant  entered 
the  room.  It  was  the  Comte  Adolphe  de  Maussion.  As 
an  auditor  to  the  Council  of  State,  he  was  attached  to  the 
office  of  the  Due  de  Bassano,  and  in  the  Minister's  name, 
came  to  ask  for  news  of  my  arrival. 

"  You  see  her  before  you,"  said  my  husband  gaily. 
The  young  man  bowed  low,  saying  he  would  go  and  carry 
the  news  to  his  chief  who  was  just  sending  a  courier  to  the 
Emperor.  I  feared  that  these  words  meant  that  I  should 
be  sent  away.  All  my  fears  returned  for  the  moment ; 
but  I  was  in  too  great  need  of  happiness  to  permit  the 
thought,  and  I  drove  it  away,  saying  to  myself  that  the 
distances  were  enormous,  and  that  many  bright  days  would 
pass  before  the  dread  command  could  reach  us. 

I  was  agreeably  surprised  to  find  nothing  in  the  Mar- 
shal's mood  or  conversation  to  confirm  the  sad  account 
and  melancholy  prognostications  of  M.  Jacqueminot.  My 
husband,  who  had  assisted  at  nothing  but  triumphs  since 
his  entrance  into  a  soldier's  career,  was  the  last  to  certify 
our  disasters  ;  and  even  when  he  touched  upon  them 
slightly,  he  yet  sought  to  conceal  them.  When  at  last  he 
was  compelled  to  believe  them,  he  continued  to  do  so  from 
rage  and  distress. 

Moreover,  he  allowed  no  one  to  repeat  anything  to  him 


,6o  MEMOIRS  OF 

on  hearsay,  when  it  was  unfavourable  to  our  arms.  He 
reeeived  no  news  except  that  given  by  the  Due  de  Bassano 
or  furnished  by  his  chief  of  staff  (General  de  Lorencez)  on 
the  movements  of  the  2nd  Army  Corps.  On  this  side 
nothing  alarming  had  happened  during  the  first  half  of 
October.  After  Marshal  Oudinot  had  been  Avounded,  his 
corps  had  been  placed  under  the  command  of  Marshal 
Gouvion-Saint-Cyr,  who  had  remained  on  the  Dwina, 
where  he  maintained  himself  advantageously  against 
Wittgenstein's  army.  Consequently  everything  was  satis- 
factory there. 

The  day  after  my  arrival,  I  received  many  visits  :  first 
that  of  the  Due  de  Bassano  ;  then  came  M.  Bignon,  a  very 
clever  man,  who  was  also  fulfilling  a  diplomatic  mission, 
with  the  title  of  Imperial  Commissary.  Next,  all  the 
wounded  who  had  left  the  army  temporarily  in  order  to 
be  cured  at  Wilna. 

I  also  made  the  acquaintance  of  some  charming  women 
of  the  country,  not  only  Lithuanians  proper,  but  coming 
from  every  part  of  Poland  to  be  at  the  centre  of  politics 
and  of  the  news  of  the  moment.  They  first  called  upon 
me,  and  I  gladly  returned  their  visits. 

We  also  accepted,  my  husband,  my  uncle  and  myself, 
the  invitations  of  our  two  diplomatists.  They  alone  kept 
house  ;  the  natives  had  enough  to  do  in  keeping  up  their 
cause,  to  which  they  eagerly  sacrificed  more  than  their 
incomes.  For  instance,  all  these  charming  ladies  gathered 
at  Wilna  lived  in  privation  in  order  to  assist  their 
husbands  to   keep  up  the  regiments  raised  at  their  cost 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  i6i 

and  commanded  by  them,  their  sons  or  their  brothers. 
Yes,  cashmere  shawls,  plate,  pearls,  diamonds,  all  went 
successively  to  be  swallowed  up  in  the  vortex  of  a  war 
from  which  those  noble  hearts  and  vivid  imaginations 
refused  to  draw  anything  but  hope. 

The  first  function  at  which  I  assisted  was  a  great  dinner, 
followed  by  a  crowded  reception,  at  the  Due  de  Bassano's. 
The  Minister  enjoyed  all  the  Emperor's  confidence.  He 
held  and  pulled,  by  his  master's  direction,  all  the  wires  of 
European  diplomacy.  Like  the  Comte  Louis  de  Nar- 
bonne,  he  had  preserved  the  old-fashioned  way  of  doing 
the  hair.  He  carried  his  powdered  head  well  and  loftily. 
He  was  tall  in  stature  ;  his  demeanour  was  grave  ;  his 
movements  slow ;  his  words  rare  and  measured.  Alto- 
gether he  was  an  imposing  figure. 

The  month  of  October  had  been  magnificent,  but  it  was 
drawing  to  an  end,  and  not  everyone  was  illusioned  by 
its  deceptive  mildness.  The  interviews  between  the  Due 
de  Bassano  and  my  husband  were  redoubled. 

Often,  during  these  fine  October  mornings,  my  husband 
and  I  would  set  out  alone  to  explore  the  neighbourhood. 
Certainly  the  charm  of  these  drives  did  not  lie  in  the 
localities  themselves,  Wilna  is  situated  in  a  dry,  sandy 
country,  and  surrounded  by  hills  deprived  of  all  vegetation. 
The  Wilia  winds  through  the  country  in  vain  ;  it  does  not 
seem  to  fertilize  it.  A  few  brick  towers  were  to  be  seen 
upon  the  heights.  They  were  half  demolished  :  destroyed, 
not  ruined. 

The   streets   of  Wilna  were  dark    and    dirty,  and    the 


,62  MEMOIRS  OF 

Jewish  population,  which  was  in  the  majority,  did  not 
brighten  tlie  picture.  There  are,  however,  a  number  of 
domes  and  steeples,  which  rise  up  brilliantly  from  the 
thirty-six  convents  that  the  city  contains. 

To  this  repulsive  Jewish  population  were  added  our 
sick  and  convalescent  soldiers.  These  dragged  themselves 
through  the  streets  or  lay  stretched  in  the  sun.  Nothing 
is  sadder  to  my  mind  than  a  sick  soldier,  because,  to  the 
phy.sical  suffering  expressed  on  his  face,  must  be  added  the 
home-sickness  which  is  so  cruel  for  the  rich  and  so  intoler- 
able to  the  poor. 

One  morning,  my  husband  and  I  had  reached  on  foot  a 
clump  of  fir-trees  which  had  attracted  us,  because  any 
vegetation  was  so  rare.  We  were  chatting  merrily  when 
we  suddenly  stumbled  against  a  heap  of  earth.  It  was  a 
tomb!  Then  another,  a  hundred  others.  .  .  .  We  had  lit 
upon  the  graveyard  of  a  military  hospital.  We  turned 
short,  and  not  far  away  we  found  a  canteen,  in  front  of 
which  our  soldiers,  ready  to  rejoin  the  army,  were  dancing 
with  the  canteen-women. 

Meanwhile,  as  the  days  passed  by,  a  vague  anxiety 
began  to  manifest  itself.  The  entertainments  continued. 
The  diplomatic  faces  remained  impassive ;  but  I  perceived 
that  the  private  conferences  between  the  Minister  and  my 
husband  became  much  more  frequent.  Treated  almost  as 
a  child,  I  was  told  of  nothing  ;  but  one  morning,  I  believe  it 
was  on  the  29th  or  30th  of  October,  I  noticed  such  a  going 
to  and  fro ;  the  Marshal,  in  a  low  voice,  gave  so  many 
different  orders  to   his   officers  ;    his   people,  too,   moved 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  163 

about  to  such  an  extent  that  I  had  a  presentiment  of 
departure,  and  all  my  doubts  were  dissipated  when  I  saw 
him  arranging"  his  war-charts  and  telling  Pils  to  put  them 
in  his  boxes. 

The  departure  was  irrevocably  fixed  for  the  morrow,  and 
the  hateful  preparations  for  a  long  journey  upset  the  house 
from  top  to  bottom.  I  felt  inclined  to  scold  all  the  people 
who  were  busying  themselves  in  these  preparations  ;  I  was 
shocked  at  the  careless  air  of  some  and  the  contented  air 
of  others.  The  aides-de-camp  in  particular  rejoiced  at 
resuming  the  campaign,  and  I  detested  them  for  it. 

What  a  dinner!  what  an  evening!  what  a  night!  At 
daybreak  the  carriage  rolled  heavily  beneath  the  archway. 
The  Marshal  embraced  me  silently,  sadly,  and  after  re- 
commending me  afresh  to  the  care  of  my  uncle,  drove  off, 
leaving  me  a  victim  to  genuine  despair.  I  was  ill  for 
several  days. 

It  was  the  news  of  a  wound  received  by  Marshal 
Gouvion-Saint-Cyr  that  induced  the  Due  de  Reggio  to 
resume  his  command  of  the  2nd  Corps  without  waiting 
for  orders  or  instructions  from  the  Emperor,  whose  move- 
ments and  plans  were  at  the  time  unknown.  The  2nd 
Corps  had  evacuated  Polotsk,  and  your  father  was  to 
rejoin  his  troops  during  their  retrograde  march  upon  the 
Beresina. 

The  fine  weather  was  past,  and  November  opened  in  mist. 
My  uncle  tried  to  distract  my  thoughts  by  every  possible 
means.  He  read  to  me.  He  made  mc  take  a  piano- 
mistress.      I   agreed    to    everything,   but  without  zeal  or 


J  64  MEMOIRS  OF 

attention.  Then  my  uncle  suggested  that  I  should  take 
drives.  The  Marshal  had  left  me  eight  of  his  horses, 
which,  well  fed  and  cared  for,  were  later  to  render  us 
immense  service.     But  for  the  time  they  were  a  luxury. 

Already  the  first  snow  lay  on  the  ground,  when  one 
morning,  huddled  in  our  calash,  and  going  at  a  great  rate, 
we  were  shaken  from  our  lethargy  by  a  sudden  swerving 
on  the  part  of  our  horses,  who  had  seen  a  corpse,  which 
they  refused  to  pass.     This  was  the  beginning. 

The  incident  did  not  increase  my  taste  for  driving ; 
however,  I  could  not  refuse  when  the  Due  de  Bassano 
invited  me  to  the  review  of  the  Neapolitan  Guards,  who 
were  passing  through  Wilna  to  join  Murat.  These  light 
and  brilliant  troops  manoeuvred  before  us  for  an  hour  or 
two.  It  was  their  farewell  to  the  world  ;  for,  a  few  days 
later,  the  cold  having  increased,  men  and  horses  gradually 
melted  away  like  snow  beneath  the  sun.  Not  one  reached 
his  destination.  Troops  were  constantly  being  sent  to 
the  army,  but  none  ever  returned.  A  silence  as  of  death 
reigned  at  the  Due  de  Bassano's  and  at  my  own  house. 
He  often  came  and  communicated  his  forebodings  to  me. 
Each  succeeding  day,  each  added  degree  of  frost  increased 
the  melancholy  of  the  position.  In  the  third  week  of 
November,  the  thermometer  was  at  12  degrees,  and  it 
could  not  but  go  lower  still. 

Our  letters  from  France  had  brought  us  nothing  but 
news  of  peace  and  health  ;  but  one  morning  I  was  seized 
with  horror  on  reading  in  a  letter  from  my  sister  of  the 
inroads  of  a  mad  wolf  who  had  bitten  nineteen  people  in 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  165 

the  town  of  Bar,  of  whom  seventeen  had  succumbed  to 
hydrophobia. 

I  was  interrupted  by  a  visit  from  the  Minister.  "  There 
are  also,"  he  said,  "wolves  in  Paris."  He  had  just  heard 
of  Mallet's  conspiracy.  "  Look  at  my  position,"  he  said. 
"  Paris  is  in  uproar,  and  what  news  can  I  send  to  calm 
it?  Instead  of  the  victories  to  which  they  are  accustomed, 
the  reports  of  which  would  make  an  instant  diversion, 
am  I  to  tell  them  that  at  this  moment  we  are  ignorant  of 
the  fate  of  the  Emperor  and  the  Grande  Armee  ?  Will  it 
be  sufficient  to  repeat  the  last  reports  which  I  have  read 
from  Moscow,  and  which  I  have  already  sent  home  ^  And 
yet  I  must  write  to  Paris,  which  is  so  exacting  and  so  im- 
pressionable ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  I  must  keep  a  good 
countenance  here  before  this  diplomatic  body,  whose  eyes 
are  always  open,  watching  my  movements.  I  must  con- 
tinue to  keep  the  Polish  ladies  dancing :  they  persevere 
in  their  hopes  and  will  perhaps  be  undeceived  all  too 
soon.  That  is  my  position,  which  becomes  more  difficult 
day  by  day." 

Very  gloomy  days  succeeded  to  this  revelation  of  the 
Due  de  Bassano's.  Nothing  was  able  to  draw  me  from  my 
sombre  meditations.  I  had  been  warned  by  the  Minister 
that  all  the  ladies  who  had  taken  refuge  at  Wilna  would 
attentively  follow  my  impressions  and  my  movements,  and 
I  must  therefore  force  myself  to  make  no  change  in  my 
mode  of  life.  Since  the  Marshal's  departure  I  had  ceased 
to  appear  in  public,  but  I  paid  and  received  morning  visits, 
and  in  addition  to  the  Lithuanian  nobles,  I  saw  much  of 


,r,6  MEMOIRS  OF 

the  superior  officers  on  duty  in  the  town,  and  also  of  the 
convalescents  who  were  completing  their  cure. 

Count  and  Countess  Abramowictz  were  among  our  most 
frequent  visitors.  There  was  a  curious  detail,  rare  every- 
where except  in  Poland,  connected  with  the  countess  :  this 
was  her  fourth  husband.  All  four  were  living.  I  will  not 
undertake  to  excuse  the  religious  position,  so  revolting 
in  itself  and  so  strange  in  a  Catholic  ;  but  the  Due  de 
Bassano  explained  the  civil  position  to  me  by  the  elasticity 
of  the  law,  which  in  every  Polish  marriage-contract  leaves 
an  opportunity  for  a  declaration  of  nullity  or  a  separation. 
Among  these  four  husbands  was,  I  heard,  one  Frenchman, 
the  Comte  de  Montholon  ;  and  I  believe,  although  I  am  not 
sure,  that  it  was  he  who  followed  the  Emperor  to  St 
Helena. 

Mme.  Abramowietz,  apart  from  the  oddness  of  her  posi- 
tion, was  a  most  kind  and  charitable  woman,  and  the  charm 
of  her  mind  and  manners  would  infallibly  have  attracted 
me,  if  those  three  first  husbands  had  not  so  often  sprung 
up  between  us.  But  he  who  at  that  time  reigned  over 
her  actions  and  her  heart  certainly  deserved  all  the 
affection  she  bore  him,  as  you  can  judge  by  the  following' 
anecdote. 

As  you  know,  communications  were  interrupted  with  the 
army  generally,  and  particularly  along  the  line  to  Moscow. 
The  Due  de  Bassano,  anxious  to  inform  the  Emperor  of 
the  Mallet  affair,  and  fearing  to  deliver  the  details  to  the 
chance  of  seizure  which  all  his  despatches  ran,  was  eagerly 
seeking  a  means  for  the  safe  conveyance  of  his  important 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  167 

news.  Count  Abramowictz  delivered  him  from  his  per- 
plexity by  offering  to  undertake  the  risk  and  perils  of 
the  journey  in  question. 

"But  how  will  you  set  about  it,"  asked  the  duke,  "so 
as  to  avoid  the  risk  of  capture  ?  " 

"That  concerns  myself,"  he  replied;  "but  I  can  assure 
you  of  this,  that  if  your  despatches  do  not  reach  the 
Emperor,  no  one  else  shall  ever  know  the  contents." 

Thereupon  the  Due  dc  Bassano  suggested  that  I  should 
take  advantage  of  this  opportunity  to  write  to  the  Marshal. 
It  seemed  evident  to  us  that  the  latter  was  returning,  in 
concert  with  Marshal  Victor,  to  the  point  of  junction  with 
the  army  of  Moscow.  I  accordingly  handed  my  letters  to 
the  brave  traveller. 

A  long  time  passed  after  his  departure.  One  Sunday, 
during  mass,  I  was  told  that  M.  Abramowietz  had  returned. 
You  can  imagine  the  excitement  with  which  I  called  at  his 
house.  Soon  M.  Abramowietz,  who  had  naturally  gone 
first  to  the  Due  de  Bassano's,  came  and  brought  me 
both  letters  and  verbal  news.  The  whole  was  reassur- 
ing, and  I  saw  that  we  had  well  judged  the  position 
in  assuming  that  the  2nd  and  6th  Corps  had  joined  the 
Emperor.  Either  from  prudence  or  from  the  inrooted 
sentiment  of  the  Poles,  which  closed  their  eyes  to  the 
real  state  of  affairs,  M.  Abramowietz  wrapped  him- 
self in  great  reserve,  at  least  in  so  far  as  I  was  con- 
cerned, and  gave  me  no  clue  to  what  he  had  perhaps 
already  communicated  to  the  Due  de  Bassano.  He  had 
arrived  almost  at  the  moment  when  the  corps  of  Bellune 


,f,8  MEMOIRS  OF  MARSHAL  OUDINOT 

and  Rct^cjio  were  joining  the  Emperor,  and  he  must 
certainly  have  obtained  a  true  idea  of  the  position. 
But  the  story  of  his  journey  was  told  me.  Knowini^  the 
country  perfectly,  he  had  decided  to  put  the  partisans  off 
the  scent  by  crossing  the  various  lakes,  which  he  hoped  to 
find  entirely  frozen.  When  he  reached  the  first,  he  sounded 
the  thickness  of  the  ice  with  a  long  iron-shod  stick.  The 
trial  did  not  seem  satisfactory  ;  but,  "  What  matter  .''  "  said 
he.  "  I  am  only  risking  my  life,  and  if  I  am  drowned,  the 
despatches  will  disappear  with  me.  Forwards  !  "  It  was 
in  this  spirit  that  he  took  the  first  few  steps  upon  the  ice, 
which  cracked  beneath  his  feet  and  left  the  gulf  open 
behind  him.  By  running  lightly  and  speedily  with  the  aid 
of  his  stick,  he  went  forward  full  of  hope  and  ardour,  closing 
his  ears  to  the  fatal  sound  which  threatened  his  life  at  each 
movement  he  made.  But  God  protected  him.  The  gulf 
did  not  open  before  him  ;  he  left  it  behind  and  did  not 
look  back  at  it.  Had  he  been  swallowed  up,  his  wife,  his 
friends,  his  country  would  never  have  known  his  fate,  and 
this  modest  courage,  the  courage  of  duty  accomplished, 
would  have  remained  unknown. 

Days  of  absolute  silence  followed  upon  the  details  you 
have  just  read.  No  direct,  no  official  news  reached  us  from 
the  army,  which  we  knew  to  be  marching  towards  Wilna. 
The  cold  increased,  and  all  our  hearts  were  wrung  when  we 
thought  of  that  mass  of  men  tramping  along  between  the 
snow,  which  covered  all  things,  and  the  grey  sky,  which 
was  no  longer  pierced  by  a  single  ray  of  the  sun. 


CHAPTER  V 


Oudinot  manoeuvres  to  become  master  of  the  Beresina — Battle  of  Borizow — 
General  Corbineau  accidentally  discovers  the  ford  of  Sludianka — Erec- 
tion of  bridges — Oudinot's  active  measures  to  facilitate  the  crossing — He 
is  grievously  wounded — Details  of  the  retreat — Oudinot  is  nearly  captured 
at  Pletchnitzy— His  energy  and  greatness  of  soul  under  this  circumstance 
• — He  rejoins  the  duchess  at  Wilna — The  Emperor  leaves  the  army — The 
return — Cruel  sufferings — The  night  of  the  7th  of  December — All  the  food 
is  frozen — Marshal  Oudinot's  grief  at  hearing  of  the  loss  of  his  artillery — 
In  spite  of  the  evidences  he  refuses  to  believe  n  the  destruction  of  the 
army — General  Rapp  at  Dantzig — The  journey  across  Germany — Return 
to  Bar-le-Duc. 


The  2nd  Corps,  commanded  for  the  second  time  by 
Oudinot,  who  had  rejoined  it  on  the  4th  of  Novem- 
ber after  the  wound  received  by  Gouvion-Saint-Cyr, 
was  growing  weaker  and  weaker,  while  the  enemy  on 
the  other  hand  was  receivinof  reinforcements.  He 
was  compelled  to  retire  and  endeavour  to  rejoin 
Marshal  Victor,  and  he  hoped  at  Borizow,  on  the 
upper  reaches  of  the  Beresina,  to  make  himself 
master  of  the  only  road  which  could  afford  a  passage 
to  the  Emperor  and  the  wretched  remnants  brought 
back  by  him  from  Moscow.  Which  of  the  two, 
Oudinot  or  WittQfenstein,  would  become  master  of 
that   little  water-course,  but   lately  an    insignificant 

stream,  now  a  fatal  gulf  .-^     The  Due  de  Reggio  and 
12  169 


lyo  MEMOIRS  OF 

tlic  Due  de  Bcllune  possessed  the  only  solid  and 
organized  bodies  of  troops  remaining  in  Russia,  but 
tli('ir  united  effective  strength  scarcely  amounted  to 
a  tola!  of  twenty-five  thousand  men.  They  vainly 
attacked  at  Smoliantzy,  and  were  unable  to  break 
through  the  enemy.  At  the  same  tinie  the  Polish 
General  Dombrowsky,  who  was  holding  the  bridge 
of  Borizow  for  us — our  last  hope ! — lost  it  after  a 
sanguinary  combat. 

The  sudden  arrival  of  Oudinot  almost  restored  the 
position.  He  swooped  upon  Borizow^  surprised 
General  Pahlen's  advance-o-uard,  killed  or  took 
prisoner  twelve  hundred  men,  and  rushed  upon  the 
bridge.  .  .  .  Too  late  !  The  Russians,  unable  to 
hold  it,  had  set  fire  to  it  as  they  fled. 

Fortunately,  General  Corbineau,  who  had  been 
separated  from  the  2nd  Corps  since  the  retreat,  and 
who  had  fallen  back  somewhat  at  haphazard,  ob- 
served some  peasants  fording  the  Beresina  opposite 
Studianka,  three  leagues  above  Borizow.  So  soon 
as  he  was  informed  of  this,  Oudinot  hastened  to  send 
Corbineau  with  this  valuable  information  to  the 
Emperor.  Napoleon  at  once  adopted  the  idea  of 
using  the  ford  at  Studianka,  and  in  order  to  deceive 
the  enemy,  ordered  feigned  works  of  passage  to  be 
executed  on  other  points  below  Borizow. 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  171 

He  arrived  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning  on  the 
26th  of  November  at  the  village  of  Weselowo,  on 
the  left  bank  of  the  Beresina,  opposite  Studianka, 
which  is  on  the  right  bank.^  He  said  to  Oudinot, 
who  had  already  begun  his  preparations,  concealing 
them  as  much  as  possible  : 

"  Well,  you  shall  be  my  locksmith  and  open  that 
passage  for  me." 

At  the  same  time  Berthier,  seated  in  the  snow, 
wrote  out  the  orders  of  the  day. 

Corbineau  crossed  with  a  few  cavalry-men,  who, 
taking  foot-soldiers  behind  them,  occupied  a  small 
wood  on  the  right  bank,  after  dislodging  some  Cos- 
sacks. At  the  same  time  General  Eble's  pontoniers, 
plunging  into  the  water  up  to  their  shoulders,  and 
surrounded  with  ice  which  crystallized  around  their 
chests,  drove  in  the  piles  intended  for  the  foundations 
of  two  bridoes.  The  rio-ht  one  was  finished  at  one 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  on  the  26th,  the  left  three 
hours  later.  Oudinot's  corps  crossed  forthwith  to 
the  right  bank,  took  up  its  position  with  two  pieces 
of  ordnance,  threw  itself  upon  the  Russian  troops 
commanded  by  General  Tchaplitz,  dispersed  them 
and  drove  them  back  beyond  Brilowa,  and  thus 
assured  a  free  passage. 

'  Thiers  is  wrong  in  describing  Studianka  as  on  the  left  bank  (Vol.  xii.).     A 
note  of  Victor  Oudinot,  an  eye-witness,  contirms  the  above  detail. 


172  MEMOIRS  OF 

That  nio;ht  Oudinot  slept  upon  that  terrible  ground, 
with  no  other  shelter  than  some  boughs  of  trees. 
There  was  not  even  any  straw,  and  nothing  to  drink 
but  melted  snow.  We  resume  the  Duchesse  de 
Reggio's  narrative  : 

Despite  my  sinister  presentiments,  I  did  not  dream  of 
leaving  Wilna.  There  was  much  talk  among  the  refugees 
of  a  speedy  retreat  to  Warsaw  ;  but  in  no  case  should  I 
have  followed  that  route,  since  the  one  which  my  husband 
had  prescribed  for  me  by  way  of  precaution  in  case  of 
need  ran  by  Kowno  and  Konigsberg.  But  the  Due  de 
Bassano,  who  was  responsible  for  my  safety  to  the  Marshal, 
and  who  felt  certain  of  having  time  enough  before  him  to 
retreat,  did  not  think  it  necessary  to  send  me  on  ahead, 
which  would  have  been  an  evident  signal  of  distress  for 
the  whole  town. 

We  thus  came  to  the  2nd  of  December,  the  anniversary 
of  the  Emperor's  coronation.  Eight  years  had  passed 
since  that  event,  which  they  proposed  to  commemorate  once 
again.  The  day  rose  still  more  misty  and  frosty  than  the 
preceding  ones.  My  uncle  and  I  in  gloomy  silence  were 
awaiting  our  sad  breakfast,  exchanging,  not  without  effort, 
a  few  words  with  the  excellent  M.  Verger,  the  Marshal's 
war-commissary  and  private  secretary.  An  enormous 
weight  seemed  to  crush  us  all  three,  when  suddenly  the 
door  burst  open,  and  there  appeared  before  my  eyes  a  sort  of 
phantom,  which  resembled  M.  Le  Tellier.  I  gave  a  scream 
and  darted  towards  him  ;    he  took  my  two  hands,  placed 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  173 

me  in  an  easy  chair,  sat  down  by  my  side,  and,  keeping 
my  hands  in  his,  said  in  a  hollow  voice  : 

"  I  bring  you  news  of  your  husband  .  .  ." 

"Ah,  God  pity  me!"  I  cried. 

"Calm  yourself,"  resumed  the  aide-de-camp,  "he  is  alive, 
he  is  coming,  but  ...  he  has  received  ...  he  is  wounded 
again  ...  a  little." 

I  had  felt  the  blow  at  M.  Le  Tellier's  entrance,  and  I 
remained  dumb,  without  strength  or  words  to  ask  for 
details.  In  vain  M.  Le  Tellier  put  four  lines  written  by 
your  father  before  my  eyes :  I  could  distinguish  nothing. 
He  then  read  out  to  me,  and  1  understood.  The  words 
speaking  of  a  return  to  France  revived  me,  and  I  returned 
to  life. 

"  Come,"  I  said  to  M.  Le  Tellier,  "  let  us  go,  let  us  go 
and  meet  him." 

"  Ah,  as  to  that,"  he  replied,  "  I  have  my  orders,  and 
you  shall  not  leave  this  place." 

"We  shall  see  about  that,"  I  answered.  "Do  you  think 
I  will  wait  quietly  and  not  at  once  take  him  all  the  help 
he  stands  in  need  of?" 

"  He  foresaw  your  project,  madame,  and  he  has  so  rigor- 
ously prescribed  my  line  of  conduct  that  I  will  not  let  you 
go  even  if  I  have  to  lock  3  ou  up  to  prevent  you." 

My  uncle  took  the  young  man's  part,  and  I  had  to  bow 
my  head,  and  resigned  myself  to  letting  M.  Verger  go 
alone,  the  kind  man  offering  to  carry  at  once  to  the 
wounded  hero  all  that  I  could  think  of  as  useful  for  him. 

When  all  my  arrangements  were  made,  I  greedily  asked 


174  MEMOIRS  OF 

M.  Lc  Tellier  for  details.  lie  took  care  to  hide  from  me, 
as  much  as  possible,  the  gravity  of  the  wound,  and  thus 
left  me  the  strength  and  presence  of  mind  to  listen  to  the 
rest. 

"Where  is  the  Emperor?  where  is  the  army  ?"  I  asked. 

"  The  Emperor  !  "  he  replied  with  a  sombre  air.  "  It  is  his 
victims  that  we  have  to  think  of  His  vast,  mad  enterprise, 
his  boundless  ambition,  his  unequalled  selfishness  have  cost 
lis  400,000  men  .  .  .  You  ask  me  for  news  of  the  army, 
madame :  it  no  longer  exists  .  .  .  Look  at  me  :  I  am  one 
of  the  strongest,  one  of  the  best  clad  of  those  who,  in  small 
numbers  and  by  a  miracle,  have  escaped  that  immense 
disaster!  " 

Tears  of  rage  and  despair  sometimes  interrupted  the 
young  man's  vehement  words.  During  two  consecutive 
hours,  my  uncle  and  I  listened  to  the  terrible  story  of  the 
retreat  from  Moscow.  He  told  it  us  by  hearsay  up  to  the 
moment  when,  with  his  own  eyes,  he  saw  the  2nd  Corps 
joining  the  scared  remnants  of  the  Grande  Armee.  This 
junction,  to  which  should  be  added  that  of  the  6th  Corps 
(under  Marshal  Victor),  began  on  the  20th  of  November 
and  was  not  completed  until  the  25th. 

It  was  on  the  24th,  after  his  junction,  that  the  Due  de 
Reggio  sent  three  hundred  men  to  Aukoholda  to  pretend 
to  build  a  bridge  over  the  Beresina,  while  in  the  succeeding 
night  he  began,  with  all  possible  secrecy,  to  construct  the 
real  bridge  opposite  Studianka. 

On  the  26th,  Marshal  Oudinot  was  the  first  to  pass. 
The  Emperor  followed  him   on  the  27th.      Wittgenstein 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT 


^IS 


pressed  our  retreat  on  the  rear,  while  Tchitchakofif's  corps 
awaited  us  on  the  French  side.  Therefore,  but  for  Marshal 
Oudinot's  clever  ruse,  but  for  the  false  bridge  which 
deceived  the  Admiral  and  made  him  concentrate  his 
forces  on  a  distant  point  from  that  at  which  we  really 
proposed  to  cross  the  Beresina,  our  army  with  its  leader, 
pressed  before  and  behind  by  the  Russians,  would  have 
been  lost. 

It  was  your  father,  my  children,  who  saved  what  returned 
from  there,  as  has  been  universally  acknowledged. 

In  spite  of  the  decrease  in  numbers,  this  crossing  took 
longer  than  if  it  had  been  the  case  of  a  well-organized 
army  ;  and  it  was  not  over  when  TchitchakofT,  realizing 
his  mistake,  hastened  up  to  meet  us,  while  Wittgenstein 
was  upon  our  backs.  It  was  then  that  the  crossing  of  this 
fatal  river  assumed  a  character  of  horror  of  which  no  bare 
narrative  can  give  you  an  idea,  and  which  I  will  not 
here  attempt  to  describe  to  you. 

On  the  28th  snow  fell  so  thickly  that  people  could 
not  see  each  other  at  a  distance  of  thirty  paces. 
Oudinot  tried  to  hold  in  check  General  TchitchakofT, 
who  marched  up  from  Borizow  along  the  right  bank 
of  the  Beresina.  Our  men  were  skirmishing  among 
the  woods  interspersed  with  clearings.  A  company 
of  Cossacks,  springing  from  the  whitened  soil, 
attacked  our  artillery,  and  the  Due  de  Reggio  sent 
an  aide-de-camp  to  the  rear  to  bring  up  a  squadron 


,76  MEMOIRS  OF 

of  Cuirassiers.  He  was  waiting  impatiently  amid  a 
hail-storm  of  bullets,  gay  in  spite  of  the  danger,  and 
humming  at  the  projectiles,  between  his  teeth,  "  You 
shan't  catch  me  just  yet."  Everybody  was  looking 
out  expectandy  for  the  Cuirassiers,  when  suddenly 
the  Marshal  fell  from  his  horse. 

While  our  men  were  being  crushed  upon  the  bridge,  or 
dying  beneath  it,  drowned,  frozen,  or  cut  to  pieces  by  the 
floating  ice,  your  father  marched  forwards,  fighting.  On  the 
28th,  in  the  wood  of  Zameski,  he  received  a  bullet  which 
passed  through  his  body.  His  foot  caught  in  the  stirrup, 
he  was  dragged  with  his  head  on  the  ground  by  the 
startled  horse,  until  one  of  the  aides-de-camp  flew  to  the 
animal's  bridle  and  prevented  a  greater  misfortune. 

The  Marshal  had  been  shot  from  below  ;  the  bullet  had 
entered  low  down  in  his  side,  but  in  consequence  of  the 
destiny  which  has  always  multiplied  dangers  of  every  kind 
about  your  father  and  yet  preserved  his  life,  the  bullet, 
notwithstanding  the  long  course  it  had  taken,  struck  no 
vital  organ. 

The  wounded  man  was  conveyed,  as  best  he  could, 
through  the  thick  of  the  battle.  He  had  lost  speech  but 
not  consciousness.  The  sad  news  soon  reached  the 
Emperor,  who  was  close  at  hand.  He  at  once  ordered  his 
whole  surgical  and  medical  staff  to  be  placed  at  the 
Marshal's  disposal,  and  sent  him  his  son  Victor,  who  was 
in  the  Chasseurs  of  the  Guard. 

The  Marshal  refused  to  be  bound  down.     Pils  g^ave  him 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  177 

a  napkin  to  bite  into,  and  the  operation  commenced.  In 
vain  the  knife  probed  to  a  depth  of  six  or  seven  inches  ;  it 
could  not  reach  the  bullet,  which  was  never  extracted. 

The  sufferer  had  not  given  way  either  physically  or 
morally.  He  heard  all  that  was  whispered  about  him, 
and  notably  Dr.  Desgenette's  remark  :  "  If  he  vomits,  he's  a 
dead  man."  This  accident  did  not  take  place,  and  at  last 
they  were  able  to  apply  the  first  bandage.  But  it  became 
necessary  almost  immediately  to  move  the  martyred  man, 
in  order  to  get  him  away  from  the  field  of  battle.  Amid 
the  terrible  cold  and  dangers  of  every  kind,  he  had  to 
undertake  a  journey  of  nearly  a  hundred  leagues. 

I  must  here  explain  that  M.  Le  Tellier  had  spared  me 
as  much  as  possible  in  what  concerned  the  principal 
interest  I  possessed  in  his  story ;  but  he  did  not  detract 
from  the  dark  side  of  the  rest  of  his  picture. 

"And  now,"  he  asked,  "what  is  to  become  of  us,  sup- 
posing the  remnant  from  the  Beresina  holds  out  in  part 
against  the  increasing  cold,  the  unappeasable  famine  of  this 
desolate  route,  and  finally  the  Russians,  who  are  pursuing  us 
methodically  and  in  good  order?  Granting,  I  say,  that  a 
morsel  of  the  Grande  Armee  reaches  us  here,  what  are  we 
to  do  with  it  ?  Under  what  conditions  and  how  are  we  to 
regain  our  frontier  "i  And  yet,"  repeated  the  young  man 
furiously,  "  we  have  not  once  been  beaten  by  the  enemy. 
We  have  only  yielded  to  the  force  of  cold  and  hunger  ;  but 
as  to  the  Russians,  each  time,  during  the  retreat,  that  we 
faced  about,  we  beat  them. 

"  When  the  foundations  of  that  historic  bridge,  the  sole 


,;8  MEMOIRS  OF 

hope  of  safety  offered  us,  had  to  be  laid  in  the  Bcresina,  at 
the  voice  of  their  chief  those  men  of  duty  and  resolution 
marched  silently  into  the  water,  never  interrupting  their 
work  save  to  turn  aside  the  huge  pieces  of  ice  which 
threatened  to  cut  them  in  two  like  a  sword.  They  drove 
in  the  piles,  the  ground-work  of  the  construction,  and  went 
on  striking  their  blows  until  the  moment  came  when  they 
felt  death  seize  them.  Not  one  came  out  alive,  but  others 
stepped  in  to  complete  the  work — the  work  of  a  day  which 
should  leave  an  immortal  memory ! 

"  Long  deprived  of  its  daily  nourishment,  the  army 
suffer  cruelly.  Your  husband  and  his  staff  feel  the  effects 
of  this  privation  ;  but  perhaps  worse  still  is  the  absence 
of  sleeping  accommodation  in  this  infernal  temperature. 
With  no  other  covering  but  our  cloaks,  we  have  long  been 
sleeping  in  the  snow.     We  have  returned  in  rags." 

I  looked  at  him  with  greater  attention.  His  always 
handsome  but  tragical  face  now  had  something  so  sombre 
that  I  was  astounded.  When  he  had  appeared  to  me  two 
hours  before,  I  thought  I  saw  a  phantom  ;  and  indeed  his 
hollow  cheeks,  his  look  of  despair,  the  smoke  from  the 
bivouacs  incrusted  in  his  skin  gave  him  an  air  that  was 
quite  cadaverous.  His  clothes  were  worn,  tarnished, 
almost  colourless.  His  boots  were  split  and  fastened  with 
string ;  in  fact  the  catastrophe  which  he  had  so  eloquently 
described  seemed  personified  in  himself 

"But,  after  all,  where  have  you  left  the  Marshal.^"  I 
asked. 

"Making   for  Wilna,"  he   replied.     "With    him    in    the 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  179 

carriage  are  his  son,  a  doctor,  and  an  aide-de-camp  ;  on  the 
box  are  Pils  and  a  footman.  He  is  surrounded  with  an 
escort,  which  has  become  necessary  because  of  the  Cos- 
sacks who  infest  the  whole  country  we  have  to  cross. 
You  see,  madame,"  he  continued,  "that  it  is  impossible  for 
me  to  allow  you  to  run  the  risk  of  such  a  journey." 

"But  in  Heaven's  name,"  I  replied,  "is  the  risk  not 
equally  great  for  my  husband  .'  " 

"  No,  because  he  has  an  escort  which  you  would  be 
without.  I  repeat,  the  Marshal's  life  and  journey  are 
safe." 

In  spite  of  his  state  of  exhaustion,  M.  Le  Tellier  would 
hardly  take  time  to  eat,  or  even  to  change  his  clothes,  before 
going  to  inform  the  Due  de  Bassano  of  the  general  condition 
of  the  wreck  of  our  army.  He  had  nothing  now  to  conceal, 
and  the  young  man  unrolled  before  the  Minister  the  black 
and  terrible  picture  which  had  passed  before  my  eyes. 
After  that  he  withdrew  into  absolute  silence,  by  reason 
of  the  command  the  Marshal  had  laid  upon  him  to  reveal 
the  story  of  our  misery  only  to  those  entitled  to  hear  it. 
I  was  reassured  as  to  the  life  of  Victor,  who  was  accomipany- 
ing  his  father.  I  knew  also  that  Generals  Pajol  and  de 
Lorencez  were  both  alive,  and  retained  their  appearance  of 
command.  The  Minister's  silence,  and  ours,  failed  for  long 
to  stop  the  dull  but  significant  rumours  which  began  to 
spread  about  the  town  of  Wilna.  The  news  of  this  second 
wound  of  the  Marshal's  was  alone  a  serious  omen,  which 
at  once  brought  me  many  marks  of  sympathy.  What  the 
Due  de   Bassano  had   foreseen   was   now  realized ;  alarm 


i8o  MEMOIRS  OF 

reigned  on  every  hand,  and  people  came  to  me  to  know 
what  road  I  meant  to  take,  before  deciding  which  they 
would  follow  themselves. 

The  night  which  came  after  that  terrible  day  of  the 
2nd  of  December  seemed  very  long  to  mc.  On  the  morn- 
ing of  the  3rd,  my  uncle  entered  my  room,  followed  by 
Mme.  Morel,  who  obliged  me  to  take  a  little  chocolate,  an 
incident  I  should  certainly  not  have  mentioned  if  what 
I  left  had  not  gone  to  relieve  a  starving  man,  who 
threw  himself  upon  the  tray  carried  off  by  Mme.  Morel.  I 
heard  a  mingled  sound  of  voices  and  clattering  china  in 
the  next  room,  and  I  had  no  time  to  make  enquiries  when 
my  uncle,  who  had  hurriedly  left  me,  returned  with  Victor. 
The  latter  forestalled  all  apprehension  on  my  part  by  call- 
ing out  at  the  door  that  his  father  was  no  worse,  and  that  he 
had  come  to  announce  his  probable  arrival  for  the  next  day. 

My  satisfaction  at  this  news  very  soon  dispelled  the 
momentary  terror  with  which  I  had  been  seized  at  sight 
of  the  traveller.  Victor  was  really  dying  of  hunger,  and  it 
was  he  who,  seeing  the  remains  of  my  breakfast  leave  my 
room,  had  fallen  upon  it  like  a  wolf  upon  its  prey. 

"  Well !  "  said  I  to  Victor,  "  I  can  gain  twenty-four  hours 
by  going  to  meet  him  ;  and  since  you  arrived  without  any 
obstacles,  why  should  you  put  any  in  my  way  ?  " 

My  step-son  was  no  more  ready  to  be  convinced  than 
was  M.  Le  Tellier,  and  you  will  understand  why  when  you 
read  what  follows. 

"  In  the  first  place,"  said  Victor,  "  it  was  providential 
that  Le  Tellier  and  I  succeeded  in  escaping  the  Cossacks 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  i8i 

scattered  over  the  road.  But  listen  now  to  what  Le  Tellier 
was  not  able  to  tell  you,  and  thank  God  that  we  escaped 
the  many  dangers  to  which  my  father  was  exposed  shortly 
after  despatching  his  first  aide-de-camp." 

The  extraordinary  incident  that  had  occurred  was  this : 

Lying  in  his  carriage,  which  was  occupied  besides  by  his 
son,  an  aide-de-camp  and  his  surgeon,  the  Marshal  travelled 
under  an  escort  of  infantry.  At  first  they  proceeded  slowly 
and  cautiously  ;  but  on  the  second  day,  as  the  road  ap- 
parently continued  clear,  the  wounded  man  determined  to 
try  and  hasten  the  painful  journey,  and  gave  orders  to 
drive  ahead  of  the  detachment,  and  trot  to  the  next  resting- 
place.     This  was  the  village  of  Pletchnitzy. 

The  Marshal  was  placed  in  a  room  warmed  by  a  stove. 
He  thought  himself  alone,  and  was  waiting  on  a  pallet  for 
Dr.  Capiomont  to  prepare  the  dressing  for  his  wound,  when 
a  cannon-shot  shook  the  wooden  shed  in  which  he  lay,  and 
caused  the  victim  to  be  struck  by  a  splinter  of  the  partition. 
At  the  same  time,  four  or  five  Jewish  children  were  tumbled 
off  the  top  of  the  stove,  where  they  had  heaped  themselves 
up  to  enjoy  the  heat  unobserved.  Thereupon  Victor 
entered  with  the  other  gentlemen,  and  told  the  Marshal 
that  the  village  was  surrounded  by  five  hundred  Cossacks, 
with  two  pieces  of  artillery,  one  of  which  had  already  given 
news  of  itself 

On  our  side  they  were  twenty-five  to  thirty,  all  told,  to 
defend  that  fine  prize,  a  Marshal  of  the  Empire  !  Will  you 
believe  that  your  father,  over-excited  at  the  thought  of 
being  taken  prisoner  by  the  Cossacks,  insisted  on  being 


,82  MEMOIRS  OF 

set  upon  his  horse.  lie  was  not  able  to  keep  himself  up, 
and  was  carried  back  almost  fainting  to  his  wretched  bed, 
while  all  the  others  hastened  to  the  defence.  They  made 
use  of  everything  that  came  to  hand  to  form  a  sort  of 
barricade  around  the  house.  During  this  time  the  Marshal 
had  recovered  consciousness,  and  he  found  by  his  side  the 
wife  of  the  military  intendant,  Martouret,  who  had,  at  her 
own  risk  and  peril,  followed  her  husband  throughout  the 
cam[)aign.  She  had  borne  with  surprising  courage  the 
unequalled  trials  of  this  retreat.  Her  health  had  been 
able  to  withstand  it ;  and  she  had  made  herself  useful 
and  serviceable  to  every  one. 

On  recognizing  her,  the  Marshal  made  her  give  him  his 
pistols  ;  and  from  his  bed,  aiming  through  an  opening 
opposite,  he  fired  at  the  Cossacks.  His  shots  were  lost  in 
the  general  din.  The  struggle  was  a  keen  one,  for  each 
was  determined  to  be  killed  rather  than  surrender.  But 
whether  this  obstinate  defence  imposed  upon  the  enemy, 
or  whether  they  were  ignorant  of  the  Marshal's  rank, 
which  would  have  been  so  fine  a  trophy  for  them,  they 
failed  to  profit  intelligently  by  the  situation,  and  gave  time 
to  a  remnant  of  a  French  column  to  arrive.  So  soon  as 
they  perceived  it,  they  thought  of  no  more  but  to  seize  any 
horses  that  they  could  find  ;  and  the  adventure  ended  in 
a  flight,  rather  than  a  retreat,  on  their  part.  Naturally,  it 
had  heated  the  wounded  Marshal's  blood,  and  while  thank- 
ing God  for  the  sort  of  miracle  by  which  he  had  been 
saved,  he  passed  a  very  bad  night. 

Under   any  other   conditions,   the   continuance   of  his 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  183 

journey  would  have  been  regarded  as  impossible  ;  but  at 
that  time  the  word  had  been  erased  from  the  dictionary  ! 
They  took  the  road  therefore  the  next  day,  but  slowly, 
and  surrounded  by  an  escort,  which  they  no  longer  felt 
tempted  to  go  beyond. 

This  day  of  the  3rd  was  spent  by  my  step-son  in  relating, 
and  by  my  uncle  and  myself  in  listening. 

Several  of  the  Marshal's  officers  went  ahead  to  assure 
me  of  his  speedy  arrival.  It  was  high  time,  for  the  ther- 
mometer had  descended  to  18°  below  zero  ;  and  I  saw,  with 
alarm,  night  approaching,  when  the  sound  of  the  carriage 
under  the  archway  was  heard.  I  hastened  to  the  door:  it 
was  open,  and  nothing  came  out  of  it.  The  servants  seemed 
frozen  to  the  box.  At  last,  with  great  difficulty,  the  Mar- 
shal, broken  by  his  sufferings  and  stiff  with  cold,  was 
lifted  out  of  the  carriage.  They  offered  to  carry  him  up 
the  stairs,  but  he  refused,  and  bent  in  two,  unrecognizable 
from  head  to  foot,  he  arrived  prostrate  before  the  fire 
which  awaited  him. 

I  was  then  able  to  realize  the  unspeakable  change  which 
a  serious  wound,  accompanied  by  keen  moral  suffering, 
had  brought  about  in  so  strong  and  vigorous  a  constitution. 
But  it  was  no  time  for  reflection.  A  warm  bed  was  at 
once  made  ready,  and  I  was  present  at  the  dressing  of  that 
open  wound,  which  refused  to  give  up  the  projectile, 
although  it  got  rid  gradually  of  all  that  had  entered  with 
it.  Shirt,  vest,  uniform,  astrakhan  :  the  bullet  had  carried 
all  in  with  it ;  and  it  was  not  until  his  vigorous  organization 
had  expelled  all  these  foreign  bodies  that  the  wound  could 


,84  MEMOIRS  OF 

be  expected  to  heal.  As  yet  we  were  only  at  the  com- 
mencement. 

When  he  had  rested,  the  Marshal  asked  for  food,  and 
wished  to  have  it  served  at  his  bed-side,  to  which  he 
naturally  invited  his  travelling  companions.  They  were 
fairly  numerous  and  all  famished.  At  the  sight  of  the 
clean  table-linen,  of  the  plate,  and  the  candles,  and  still 
more  upon  scenting  the  succulent  dishes  which  I  had  taken 
pleasure  in  having  prepared  for  them,  there  was  an  hurrah 
of  surprise  as  well  as  satisfaction  ;  and  to  my  great  delight 
it  was  the  Marshal  who  led  it. 

"  Is  it  not  a  dream,"  he  asked,  "  to  find  a  well-supplied 
table  again  ?  " 

And  thereupon  followed  the  distressing  details  of  their 
privations.  They  were  long  over  their  meal,  and  I  felt 
inclined  both  to  laugh  and  cry  at  all  that  I  saw  and  heard. 

The  Marshal  had  a  good  night ;  but  the  next  morning 
his  bed  was  besieged,  not  only  by  all  those  who  had  re- 
mained at  Wilna,  but  by  those  who  began  to  arrive  in 
disorderly  crowds.  It  was  the  commencement  of  the  rout ; 
and  your  father,  who  was  unable  to  understand  any  move- 
ment not  based  upon  duty  and  discipline,  was  keenly  irri- 
tated on  each  fresh  occasion.  Nothing  could  persuade  him 
of  the  terrible  truth,  of  which  evidences  lay  on  every  side, 
that  there  was  no  army  left. 

Every  day  brought  into  Wilna  masses  of  sick  and 
wounded,  of  soldiers  without  chiefs,  and  chiefs  without 
commands.  Convoys  of  dying  soldiers,  heaped  up  in  the 
wagons,  were  unable  to   find    room   in  the   overcrowded 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  185 

hospitals.  The  Governor,  losing  the  little  head  he  had  left, 
put  neither  men  nor  things  in  their  right  places,  and  thus 
increased  the  chances  of  the  terrible  disorder  which  broke 
out  a  few  days  later,  when  the  shadow  of  a  few  apparently- 
still  organized  bodies  presented  itself  in  its  turn. 

The  Marshal,  knowing  thoroughly  what  provisions  of  all 
kinds  Wilna  contained,  insisted  that  we  could  and  should 
defend  ourselves  there  long  enough  to  recover  and  reorganize 
ourselves  a  little.  On  this  subject  he  had  lively  discussions 
with  all  the  heads  who  surrounded  his  bed  :  Marshal 
Gouvion-Saint-Cyr,  General  Pajol,  the  Due  de  Bassano. 

The  last,  on  the  third  day  after  my  husband's  arrival, 
came  earlier  than  usual,  and  expressed  a  wish  to  speak  to 
him  in  private.  The  interview  was  a  short  one,  but  of  such 
a  kind  that,  on  separating,  the  two  bade  one  another  a 
special  and  eloquent  good-bye.  I  met  the  Minister  as 
he  was  going  out.  He  took  me  aside,  and,  in  a  low  and 
eager  voice,  said  : 

"  I  have  just  persuaded  the  Marshal  to  set  out  to-day. 
Hurry  your  preparations  as  much  as  you  can  ;  you  have 
not  a  moment  to  lose." 

"  But  how,"  I  asked,  "  did  you  succeed  in  obtaining  so 
prompt  a  decision  from  the  Marshal,  who  only  yesterday 
argued  against  all  of  us  that  we  should  defend  ourselves 
here  .'' " 

"  Ah  !  "  he  replied,  "  my  argument  was  convincing  ; "  and 

lowering  his  voice  still  more,  he  added,  "The  Emperor 

passed  us  last  night  on  his  return  to  France  .  .  ." 

I  felt  as  though  in  a  dream  ;  but  I  understood  that  this 
13 


,86  MEMOIRS  OF 

was  not  the  time  for  comment.  I  took  leave  of  the  Minister, 
and  he  of  me.  He  was  to  start  the  next  day,  and  strongly 
urged  us  to  precede  him.  As  to  your  father,  I  found  him 
in  a  state  of  violent  excitement.  He  was  furious  at  recog- 
nizing at  last  the  impossibility  of  the  struggle  ;  and  once 
compelled  to  give  way,  he  wished  to  leave  at  the  earliest 
possible  moment. 

It  was  on  this  fatal  day  and  during  the  subsequent 
night  that  the  thermometer  fell    from    i8"   to   28°   below 

zero ! 

We  left  Victor  behind,  to  our  great  regret ;  but  he 
wished  to  wait  for  the  chance  of  official  instructions  arriv- 
ing. General  Pajol  had  gone  ahead  of  us.  General  de 
Lcrencez,  retained  by  the  shadowy  remnant  of  the  2nd 
Corps,  of  which  he  represented  the  staff,  was  one  of  the 
last  to  take  the  road  for  France. 

The  Marshal  was  carefully  packed  into  my  comfortable 
carriage,  with  me  by  his  side  and  Madame  Morel  opposite, 
while  my  uncle  and  Messieurs  de  Bourcet,  Jacqueminot 
and  Capiomont  installed  themselves  in  the  Marshal's 
carriage,  which  was  much  less  roomy  than  the  other. 
The  three  last  were  attacked  in  different  degrees  by 
dysentery,  one  of  the  diseases  which  were  ravaging  the 
army  ;  and  a  fourth  victim  of  this  scourge  came  and  asked 
their  pity,  saying  that  the  place  on  the  box  which  was 
destined  for  him  would  be  his  death.  This  was  M.  Rouget, 
the  Marshal's  maitre  cCJiotel.  The  four  of  them  were 
already  crowded  ;  but,  as  I  have  said,  the  word  impos- 
sible  did    not   then    exist.      They   made    room    for    the 


MARSHAL  OUDINOr  187 

unhappy  man,  who  sometimes  on  his  knees  in  the  midst 
of  them,  sometimes  partly  stretched  upon  their  knees, 
twisted  about  in  pain,  and  aroused  all  their  commisera- 
tion. 

The  box  of  this  second  carriage  was  occupied  by  two  of 
our  servants ;  on  the  box  of  ours  sat  Pils  and  the  cook. 
After  we  had  taken  a  sad  farewell  of  Victor  and  of  all  the 
half-frozen  wounded  who  crowded  into  our  apartments  at 
the  moment  of  departure,  the  carriage-doors  were  closed. 
It  was  time,  for  the  cold  was  already  nipping  us. 

The  carriages  moved  and  soon  scattered  the  snow  like 
dust.  We  had  an  escort  of  twenty  Cuirassiers,  perfectly 
mounted,  and  wrapped  in  their  great  white  mantles.  But 
except  a  few  white-faced  Jews  shivering  as  they  hastened 
to  their  speculations,  with  which  nothing  ever  interfered, 
we  encountered  not  a  living  being  on  our  way  through 
the  streets  of  that  town  which  I  had  entered  with  so 
glad  a  heart  two  months  before. 

Brave  M.  Le  Tellier,  with  his  phantom  face,  declaring 
himself  the  soundest  of  his  comrades,  had  wished  to  per- 
form the  service  of  this  terrible  day,  and  he  galloped 
actively  beside  our  carriage.  He  kept  his  place  while, 
little  by  little,  I  beheld  the  number  of  Cuirassiers  of  our 
escort  diminish.  Did  a  single  one  reach  our  first  bivouac  ? 
I  am  unable  to  say,  because  the  night  put  an  end  to  all 
observation.  I  only  remember  that  the  last  two  soldiers  I 
was  able  to  see  had  their  long  moustaches  stiffened  by  the 
iciv-les  formed  from  their  breath. 

Soon   all   grew  confused  in  the  darkness,  but  not  too 


iK8  MEMOIRS  OF 

soon,  however,  to  prevent  me,  when  we  reached  the  foot 
of  the  well-known  mountain  which  we  had  to  ascend,  from 
distinguishing  the  soldiers  lying  stiff  and  stark  along  all 
the  slope  which  they  had  vainly  endeavoured  to  climb. 
They  had  fallen  down,  overcome  by  the  cold  ;  and  there, 
when  one  fell,  he  did  not  get  up  again.  ...  A  few  pools 
of  blood  had  escaped  from  their  chests  and  nostrils  and 
stained  red  the  snow. 

Nothing  has  ever  been  able  to  efface  from  my  mind  the 
terrible  impression  I  retained  of  this  ascent  across  this 
field  strewn  with  the  dead.  And  yet  it  was  but  the  com- 
mencement of  the  end. 

Our  rough-shod  horses  quickly  surmounted  this  steep 
and  forbidding  incline,  and  soon  we  had  left  the  awful 
spectacle  behind  us.  The  Marshal  kept  a  profound  sil- 
ence ;  he  felt  instinctively  all  that  I  must  suffer  from 
what  I  saw  ;  but  he  suffered  too  deeply  himself  to  ques- 
tion me.  We  went  like  the  wind  along  this  table-land, 
which  we  had  traversed  with  so  much  difficulty  a  few  weeks 
ago.     But  the  snow  had  smoothed  the  roads  .  .  . 

Soon  I  was  able  to  distinguish  nothing  upon  its  white- 
ness save  the  figure  of  M.  Le  Tellier,  who  continued  to 
gallop  by  the  carriage  door.  I  could  not  say  exactly  at 
what  time  he  stopped  the  carriage,  crying  that  he  was 
going  to  prepare  a  lodging  for  us  in  a  building  of  which 
he  had  caught  sight.  He  soon  returned.  "  Quick,  madame 
la  marechale,"  he  said,  opening  the  carriage  door,  "  out 
you  come."  Seized  by  a  horrible  feeling  of  this  deathly 
temperature,  I  asked  myself  how  my   wounded    husband 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  1S9 

would  bear  it.  Our  unfortunate  servants,  stiffened  by 
the  cold  on  their  outside  seats,  nevertheless  retained  the 
energy  to  do  their  duty.  The  Marshal  was  carried  upon 
one  of  his  mattresses,  and  we  moved  towards  a  kind  of 
shapeless  shed,  which  at  a  distance  seemed  to  me  to  be 
surrounded  by  a  number  of  great  black  circles  drawn 
upon  that  eternal  snow.  They  consisted  of  men,  who 
were  all  still  moving  then  ;  but  the  next  day  .  .  . 

The  half-burnt  post-house  which  M.  Le  Tellier  made  us 
enter  had  been  crowded  during  the  daytime  not  only  by 
those  who  were  returning  from  the  army  and  who  had 
been  able  to  resist  the  cold  so  far,  but  by  those  who  were 
travelling  in  the  opposite  direction,  and  who  had  come 
from  Konigsberg  in  order  to  rejoin  what  they  still  called 
the  army.  It  was  the  staff  and  the  last  portion  of  Loison's 
division,  which  the  Emperor  had  sent  for.  The  General 
and  his  officers  had  sought  shelter  in  this  house,  the  only 
one  left  standing  on  that  devastated  road,  and  part  of  it 
had  been  demolished  to  provide  firewood  for  the  bivouac 
which  we  saw  before  us. 

So  great  was  the  crowd  that  M.  Le  Tellier  had  the 
greatest  difficulty  in  penetrating.  He  struck  some  and 
stepped  upon  others,  shouting  to  every  one  that  Marshal 
Oudinot,  who  was  dying,  was  also  entitled  to  a  place.  No 
one  listened  ;  no  one  made  way  or  moved.  He  stormed 
in  vain  ;  but  before  long  he  perceived  that  several  among 
them  were  dying,  and  some  already  dead.  He  tried 
to  drag  outside  a  number  of  the  latter,  so  as  to  make 
room  for  us  ;  but  those  who  remained  took  advantage  of 


,f;o  MEMOIRS  OF 

his  exertions  and,  with  the  brutal  selfishness  which  was 
the  only  sentiment  left  to  most  of  them,  stretched  them- 
selves more  at  their  ease.  However,  after  crossing  the 
first  room  in  which  reigned  this  frightful  confusion,  we 
penetrated  to  the  second,  which  was  filled  with  General 
Loison's  officers.  These  were  so  closely  packed  that 
they  could  neither  lie  down  nor  sit,  and  they  stood  up  so 
as  to  occupy  less  room,  including  the  general,  who,  in 
the  name  of  my  husband,  obtained  just  sufficient  room  to 
lay  before  the  fire  the  little  mattress  upon  which  he 
reclined.  I  sat  down  at  the  foot  of  the  mattress.  The 
other  occupants  of  our  two  carriages  found  shelter  some- 
how, as  did  also  poor  Mme.  Abramowietz,  who,  driving 
alone  in  her  calash,  had  followed  our  fortunes. 

Dr  Capiomont  tried  to  dress  the  sick  man's  wound  ;  but 
everything  froze  beneath  his  hands,  and  he  had  to  give  up 
the  attempt.  We  tried  to  use  the  provisions  brought  on 
one  side  from  Wilna  and  on  the  other  from  Konigsberg ; 
but  everything  —  bread,  wine,  ham,  poultry  —  was  frozen, 
and  could  not  be  thawed  even  when  put  before  the 
stove.  A  slight  dampness  was  all  that  appeared  on  the 
outside  of  the  eatables ;  the  inside  remained  as  hard  as 
stone. 

None  of  us  who  were  packed  into  this  room  were  able  to 
sleep,  since  it  was  a  condition  of  admittance  that  one  should 
remain  standing.  For  a  moment  I  saw  General  Loison, 
who  was  standing  over  us,  close  his  eyes  and  sway  to  and 
fro  above  our  heads.  His  fall  would  have  crushed  us,  and 
I  thou"^ht  it  best  to  warn  him. 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  191 

We  suffered  so  much  where  we  were  that  it  was  easy  to 
imagine  how  things  were  going  outside  :  we  felt  Death  all 
around  us.  .  .  .  The  fire  in  the  stove  grew  low  for  want  of 
fuel ;  but  where  and  hovv  to  find  any?  It  was  almost  risk- 
ing one's  life.  That  good  Dr.  Capiomont  ventured  out, 
however,  and  I  can  still  see  him  returning  in  triumph  with 
a  part  of  a  cannon-wheel,  which  blazed  up  and  gave  us  the 
necessary  energy  at  the  moment  of  departure. 

Again  it  was  M.  Le  Tellier  who  came  to  give  us  the 
signal.  Day  had  not  yet  broken  ;  but  it  was  high  time  to 
restore  to  movement  our  people  and  our  horses,  which  had 
escaped  by  a  miracle  from  the  disasters  of  the  night. 
Besides,  the  snow  showed  up  only  too  well  all  that  sur- 
rounded us.  The  Marshal  was  carried  quickly  to  his 
carriage ;  but  however  briskly  the  rest  of  us  followed  him, 
we  had  plenty  of  time  in  which  to  take  in  the  sight 
that  met  our  eyes.  The  bivouacs  of  the  night  before  stood 
out  black  against  the  snow ;  but  all  was  extinct  and 
motionless.  How  many  of  the  men  were  dead  ?  How 
many  dying  .''  I  know  not  ;  but  it  is  notorious  that  this 
night  of  the  7th  of  December  1812  was  one  of  the  most 
deadly,  and  that  its  ravages  on  the  remains  of  our  army 
were  terrible. 

Shut  up  in  our  carriage,  between  the  grey  sky  and  the 
white  ground,  we  felt  as  though  we  were  wrapped  in  our 
shrouds.  The  pale  sun,  which  had  shown  itself  at  moments 
the  day  before,  now  refused  to  appear;  and  although  in 
such  cold  as  this  it  has  no  power  to  prevent  freezing  and 
death,  it  at  least  prevents  despair. 


J  92  MEMOIRS  OF 

You  know  how  desolate  I  had  thought  this  road  when 
wc  travelled  by  it  before.  Now  we  saw  not  a  single  inhabi- 
tant near  the  ruins  of  which  I  have  spoken  to  you.  Only, 
at  rare  intervals,  there  rose  a  few  blackened  chimneys, 
which  I  sometimes  took  for  Cossacks  on  the  look-out.  The 
scattered  fir-trees  caused  me  the  same  fright.  I  then 
pictured  my  husband  as  a  prisoner  of  war,  and  was  sure 
that  he  would  never  recover  from  it.  My  apprehensions 
were  increased  by  the  presence  of  my  uncle,  whose  serenity 
never  diminished  in  the  midst  of  this  calamity  which  I  had 
involuntarily  brought  down  upon  him.  I  often  thought  of 
his  wife  and  children  seated  around  that  fireside  from  which 
I  had  perhaps  torn  him  for  ever.  .  .  .  Then  I  would  lose 
my  head  when  I  thought  of  my  responsibility ;  for,  as  you 
can  understand,  we  were  all  there  from  duty :  my  husband 
and  those  of  his  profession  followed  their  destiny ;  I  was 
accomplishing  mine;  but  in  my  uncle's  case,  he  had  forced 
his,  through  sheer  devotion  for  myself. 

We  were  not  able  to  communicate  often  between  the  two 
carriages,  for  our  people,  dulled  with  the  cold,  could  not 
easily  serve  as  messengers.  They  only  protected  them- 
selves against  the  frost  by  sitting  huddled  on  their  box,  and 
covering  as  far  as  possible  their  feet,  hands  and  noses. 
Our  escort  had  disappeared.  M.  Le  Tellier  alone  rode  by 
our  side,  as  on  the  day  before. 

I  do  not  know  how  we  managed  to  live  during  this  day 
of  travel ;  the  cold  absorbed  all  our  faculties.  At  nightfall, 
]\I.  Le  Tellier  made  us  turn  sharp  off  to  the  left ;  for  he 
had  a  marvellous  power  of  finding  his  way,  in  spite  of  the 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  193 

uniformity  which  the  snow  seemed  to  produce.  We  drove 
into  a  village  called,  I  believe,  Tchismori.  The  houses 
were  standing  ;  it  did  not  ofter  that  appearance  of  devasta- 
tion which  we  had  so  long  had  before  our  eyes.  The 
carriage  pulled  up  before  the  house  of  the  priest,  who 
quickly  put  at  our  disposal  two  little  rooms,  of  which  one 
was  heated  by  a  stove.  Soon  we  were  gathered  round  a 
copious  dish  of  potatoes,  which  to  tell  the  truth,  constituted 
the  first  nourishment  we  had  taken  since  leaving  W'ilna. 
The  warmth  had  restored  to  our  stomachs  a  part  of  their 
faculties,  and  those  of  us  who  had  been  attacked  with 
dysentery  experienced  a  racking  pain  resembling  sudden 
hunger.  All  of  us,  excepting  my  uncle,  showed  signs  of 
real  suffering  and  great  irritation.  But  he,  the  excellent 
man,  had  preserved  his  sweet  and  equal  temper,  and  I 
gladly  perceived'  that  till  then  his  health  had  withstood 
every  trial. 

At  daybreak  we  were  all  on  foot  to  enter  the  carriages 
which  were  ready  and  waiting  for  us.  In  spite  of  the 
comparatively  good  night  which  the  Marshal  spent,  the 
doctor  was  not  content  with  the  state  of  his  wound.  It 
had  inflamed  and  caused  him  so  much  pain  that  he  did 
not  know  what  position  to  take  in  the  carriage.  And  yet 
it  was  necessary  that  we  should  push  ahead  .  .  . 

M.  Delamarre,  the  Marshal's  aide-de-camp,  had  joined 
us  at  Tchismori  during  the  night.  Although  he  had  left 
VVilna  only  a  i^w  hours  after  us,  he  had  new  and  melan- 
choly details  to  give  us.  He  had  witnessed  the  increase  of 
the  tumultuous  disorder  which  we  knew  to  have  begun  in 


194  MEMOIRS  OF 

the  town.  The  mountain  was  becoming  more  and  more 
encumbered  ;  and  they  were  preparing  to  burn  the  wretched 
remnants  of  our  lodging  of  the  night  before. 

General  de  Lorencez  had  not  yet  returned  to  Wilna ; 
Victor  was  still  waiting  there  with  a  few  wretched  remnants 
of  his  regiment ;  General  Pajol  alone,  compelled  by  his 
wound  to  return,  followed  us  closely.  He  soon  joined  us 
in  a  Jew's  cabin  where  we  had  been  obliged  to  set  down 
the  Marshal,  so  as  to  try  and  dress  his  wound,  which  was 
becoming  more  and  more  inflamed.  He  should  have  had 
poultices,  but  they  froze  in  the  doctor's  hands.  The  latter, 
however,  succeeded  in  giving  some  relief  to  his  patient. 

At  nightfall  we  reached  Kowno,  and  alighted  at  the 
house  of  the  Military  Intendant,  M.  de  Baudecour.  He 
had  stayed  with  us  at  Bar,  as  well  as  his  wife,  who  accom- 
panied him  as  far  as  Mayence,  when  he  set  out  to  join  the 
Grande  Armee  eleven  months  earlier.  He  busied  himself 
in  seeing  to  the  comforts  of  the  Marshal  and  myself  with 
extreme  kindness,  but  it  was  not  until  I  had  seen  my 
husband  receiving  all  his  first  cares  that  I  perceived  the 
violent  grief  that  seemed  to  oppress  our  host.  My  evident 
anxiety  made  him  speak,  and  he  anticipated  my  question 
by  saying,  amid  a  torrent  of  sobs  : 

"I  have  lost  my  only  son  during  this  retreat,  and  I  have 
only  learnt  it  two  hours  ago." 

A  mournful  silence  succeeded  this  revelation.  What 
could  we  say  to  the  heart-broken  father?  My  eyes  did 
not  leave  him.  He  soon  actively  resumed  the  duties 
demanded  of  him  by  hospitality,  but  his  domestic  arrange- 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT 


'95 


merits  did  not  second  his  kind  intentions.  The  space  at 
his  disposal  consisted  of  but  one  decent  room,  that  in  which 
we  had  been  received.  It  was  at  the  same  time  sitting- 
room,  office,  and  entrance-hall ;  for  it  was  preceded  by  no 
sort  of  passage,  and  you  can  understand  that  it  was 
impossible  to  ask  people  to  wait  outside  in  the  cold.  You 
can  imagine  the  pressure  put  upon  the  poor  Military 
Intendant,  who  had  to  attend  to  so  many  diverse  and 
urgent  matters,  and,  who,  moreover,  wished  to  have  dinner 
served  for  us.  The  stove  gave  out  a  great  heat,  and  the 
crowd  was  stifling. 

On  leaving  Kowno,  we  crossed  the  Niemen,  which  was 
covered  with  thick  ice,  and  reached  the  well-known  slope, 
which  was  like  that  of  Wilna  on  a  smaller  scale.  Our  poor 
horses  were  just  able  to  drag  us  out  of  this  difficult  place, 
where  a  few  days  later  the  swords  were  broken  of  the 
valiant  captains  who  had  succeeded  in  carrying  them  so 
far.  It  was  at  Kowno,  in  fact,  that  Ney  gave  up  the 
retreat,  if  that  was  still  the  name  for  the  shadow  of  a 
command  which  he  strove  to  wield  till  the  end  over  the  few 
scattered  remnants  he  had  kept  together  on  the  march. 
They  broke  up  completely  on  the  banks  of  the  Niemen, 
and  after  that  each  acted  and  marched  on  his  own  account. 

We  had  constantly  travelled  at  the  same  rate  as  the 
second  carriage,  and  we  had  gone  some  leagues  beyond  the 
slope  of  which  I  have  spoken,  when  Pils,  who  noticed 
everything  from  his  seat  on  the  box,  looked  out  for  it  in 
vain  over  the  vast  stretch  of  snow  which  we  were  crossing. 
We  halted  and  waited.     It  was  useless,  nothing  came  in 


n/,  MEMOIRS  OF 

sight.  There  was  nothing  to  be  seen  but  the  eternal  snow, 
behind  us,  before,  on  every  side.  "Drive  on,"  said  the 
Marshal.  My  heart  seemed  to  split  in  two  at  the  words. 
It  seemed  impossible  to  abandon  my  uncle.  His  wife,  his 
children,  all  my  family  rose  up  before  my  eyes  like 
threatening  phantoms.  On  the  other  hand  I  felt  that, 
before  all,  I  must  think  of  saving  my  husband.  Between 
these  two  emotions  I  became  like  a  madwoman. 

Meantime  it  was  growing  late,  and  M.  Le  Tellier, 
unfailingly  true  to  his  post,  came  and  told  us  that  in  order 
to  make  Antonovo,  a  small  country-house  which  the  Mar- 
shal had  appointed  as  our  next  resting-place,  and  fearing 
lest  he  should  lose  the  way  if  we  were  overtaken  by  the 
darkness,  he  had  taken  a  guide  whom  he  had  picked  up  in 
some  ruined  village.  We  discovered  that  it  was  a  Jew, 
and  I  turned  pale  as  death  when  1  saw  this  man  of  ill-omen, 
clad  in  his  long  black  gown,  mounting  our  box  and  seating 
himself  next  to  Pils.  Soon,  under  his  doubtful  guidance, 
we  turned  off  to  the  right,  and  thus  lost  from  sight  the 
slight  traces  which  might  still  enable  us  to  recognize  the 
main  road.  It  was  almost  dark,  and  we  were  trusting  to 
this  unknown  wretch  to  guide  us  across  that  desert.  I 
threw  a  last  long  look  behind  ;  there  was  no  uncle  to  be 
seen,  and  no  one  to  tell  him  of  our  change  of  road,  if 
fortunately  he  were  still  following  us. 

The  road  was  uneven,  and  we  proceeded  with  diffi- 
culty. It  became  quite  dark,  and  the  guide,  constantly 
questioned  by  Pils,  continued  to  assure  us  that  we  were 
going  right.     I  know  not  how  long  passed  in  this  way. 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  197 

At  last  M.  Le  Tellier  exclaimed  that  we  had  arrived. 
He  recognized  our  whereabouts,  because  the  Marshal  had 
encamped  there  with  his  atmy  corps  at  the  commencement 
of  the  campaign.     He  and  his  staff  had  been  harboured  at 

the  chateau  by  the  Comtesse  de ,  a  zealous  Lithuanian, 

and  they  had  parted  mutually  charmed  with  one  another. 
The  carriage  drew  up,  the  door  was  opened,  and  by  the 
light  of  many  torches,  I  saw  the  mistress  of  the  house 
appear.  As  she  came  forward  the  Marshal  said,  from 
his  carriage,  "  I  have  come  to  beg  your  hospitality  once 
again." 

"  How  pleased  we  should  have  been  to  receive  you,"  she 
said,  in  excellent  French,  in  a  clear,  soft  voice,  "  if  you  had 
not  come  under  such  melancholy  auspices." 

We  thought  at  first  that  these  words  referred  to  the 
Marshal's  wound,  or  perhaps  to  the  general  distress,  of 
which  the  news  had  quickly  spread.  But  there  was  a  more 
pressing  calamity.  The  household  had  been  attacked  by 
typhus;  seven  persons  had  already  succumbed  to  it,  both 
among  members  of  the  family  and  refugees  whom  they 
had  sheltered.  One  of  the  ladies  of  the  family  was  still 
extremely  ill. 

"What  will  you  do?"  asked  the  countess,  after  giving 
the  Marshal  a  brief  account  of  the  case.  *'  I  was  bound  to 
tell  you  the  truth,  and  if  it  does  not  alarm  you,  your  rooms 
are  ready  for  you." 

"  I  accept  your  hospitality,"  said  the  Marshal. 

Upon  these  words,  the  charming  woman  went  to  give 
her  last  orders,  and  to  return  to  her  patients.    We  had  had 


198  MEMOIRS  OF 

to  choose  between  the  dread  of  contagion  and  an  ice-cold 
night  in  the  midst  of  that  desert.     What  a  position  ! 

We  were  soon  rejoined  by  Mme.  de  ,  who  showed 

us  to  a  room  furnished  simply,  but  in  the  French  style,  in 
which  there  were  two  good  beds. 

"  I  have  put  you  as  far  away  as  possible  from  the  epi- 
demic," she  said,  "  but  I  must  return  to  it  at  once.  Fare- 
well, you  shall  not  see  me  again." 

I  need  hardly  tell  you  what  passed  within  me,  at  the 
sight  of  this  tranquil  courage.  The  countess  gave  me  no 
time  to  express  myself  as  I  should  have  wished  ;  but  I 
hope  that  under  such  circumstances  one's  features  are 
sufficiently  expressive  to  convey  all  one  wishes  to.  They 
soon  brought  us  some  provisions  sent  us  by  our  kind 
hostess,  but  I  could  not  eat.  Our  anguish  had  reached 
its  cmnax,  and  for  the  first  time  I  gave  way  beneath  its 
weight. 

I  beheld  your  father  resting  under  that  infected  roof;  I 
feared  on  my  uncle's  behalf  both  the  cold  and  the  pursuit 
of  the  Cossacks ;  while  with  all  my  heart  I  shared  the 
terrible  troubles  of  our  hosts.  It  was  more  than  I  was 
able  to  bear. 

I  had  just  assisted  at  the  dressing  of  the  wound  by  Pils, 
in  the  absence  of  the  surgeon.  The  Marshal,  tired  out,  lay 
stretched  on  one  of  the  two  beds  which  had  been  pre- 
pared for  us.  I  was  about  to  seek  some  rest  on  the 
other,  when  suddenly  a  fierce  jet  of  flame  darted  from  the 
stove.  It  had  been  driven  in  by  the  wind,  which  was 
rising  and  blowing  noisily.     In  an  instant  the  room  was 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  199 

filled  with  smoke.  I  rushed  out  terrified  to  call  for  help. 
But  where  was  I  to  turn  in  this  unknown  and  deserted 
house?  At  that  moment  a  fresh  noise  made  a  diversion. 
It  was  Pils,  sent  by  Providence  ;  he  had  come  to  tell  us 
that  the  second  carriage  had  arrived.  I  will  not  seek  to 
depict  to  you  the  contrast  between  the  moments  which 
ensued  and  those  which  had  just  passed.  The  fire,  which 
had  not  had  time  to  do  much  damage,  was  first  put  out, 
and  soon  the  travellers,  all  suffering  from  cold,  but  safe 
and  sound,  were  telling  us  of  their  adventure,  due  to  a 
break-down  of  their  carriage,  w^hich  it  had  taken  several 
hours  to  repair. 

We  shortened  as  much  as  possible  the  sleepless  night 
which  followed  that  arduous  day.  Unable  to  afford  any 
assistance  to  our  hosts,  we  were  naturally  eager  to  leave 
them ;  and  soon  we  were  once  more  driving,  at  break  of 
day,  over  the  white,  frozen  country.  I  believe  that  our 
tracks  of  the  night  before  were  our  only  guide;  for  I  do 
not  remember  seeing  the  Jew  again.  We  resumed  our 
journey  along  the  main  road,  and  after  travelling  as  fast  as 
our  horses  would  go,  we  succeeded  in  reaching  Wirbahlen 
before  nightfall,  and  stopped  before  a  deserted  house. 

An  effort  was  made  to  call  upon  the  authorities,  whom 
we  hoped  to  find  still  organized  ;  but  even  if  they  were 
discovered,  they  were  quite  powerless,  and  we  had  scarcely 
a  few  logs  of  wood  to  burn.  Our  supper  consisted  of  one 
grilled  fish  among  our  whole  famished  party.  The  tempera- 
ture did  not  relax  in  vigour,  and  this  night  of  cold  and 
famine  was  one  of  the  hardest  we  had  had  to  pass. 


200  MEMOIRS  OF 

Nevertheless,  the  morning  found  us  all  still  alive  ;  but  the 
Marshal  declared  that  we  must  rest  for  a  space  at  the  first 
halting-place  that  should  offer  some  resources.  This  was 
the  town  of  Gumbinnen,  where  we  arrived  still  frozen,  on 
the  evening  of  the  nth.  I  had  noticed,  on  the  journey 
out,  the  attractive  aspect  of  this  town,  and  it  was  still  light 
enough  to  enable  us  to  distinguish  the  clearly-marked 
streets.  The  cold  prevented  the  inhabitants  from  going 
out,  but  the  well-closed  houses  and  pleasantly  smoking 
cliimneys  made  us  very  eager  to  enter  one  of  these  fortunate 
dwellings,  fortunate  because  they  were  warm. 

At  Gumbinnen  there  was  still  some  sort  of  French 
organization,  and  a  good  lodging  was  at  once  found  for  the 
Marshal  and  the  whole  of  his  suite.  And  for  the  first  time 
since  leaving  Wilna,  we  had  a  repast  which  did  us  good, 
since  we  partook  of  it  in  peace  and  warmth.  Soup,  followed 
by  a  beefsteak  and  potatoes — what  a  banquet,  my  children  ! 
But  what  completed  our  joy  was  the  possibility  of  at  last 
being  able  to  change  our  clothes.  You  may  have  observed 
that,  like  the  heroines  of  romance  who,  as  a  witty  woman 
has  said,  never  seem  to  think,  nor  to  have  the  chance,  of 
putting  on  a  clean  shift,  I  had  kept  on  mine,  together  with 
all  I  possessed  in  the  shape  of  winter  garments  huddled  on 
my  body,  for  the  last  ten  days.  Well,  I  assure  you  that  the 
little  delicacies  to  which  we  were  accustomed  had  soon  been 
lost  under  our  privations,  and  I  was  at  last  able  to  under- 
stand how  those  who  are  in  want  of  a  night's  lodging  and 
of  bread  cease  to  care  for  cleanliness.  Till  then,  I  had 
placed  it  first  among  the  necessities  of  life,  and  when  my 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  201 

heart  rose  involuntarily  at  the  sight  of  the  foul  rags  of 
poverty,  I  pitied  the  beggar  more  for  his  dirt  than  for  his 
shivering  or  his  hunger.  I  have  learned  to  have  sounder 
and  fairer  ideas  since.  But  at  Gumbinnen  I  was  not  yet 
sufficiently  hardened  to  my  calling  as  a  canteen-woman's 
apprentice  to  be  insensible  to  the  luxuries  of  soap,  combs, 
brushes,  and  clean  linen. 

Our  stay  at  Gumbinnen  had  given  my  husband's  staff 
the  time  to  join  him,  and  one  morning  he  gathered  them 
round  his  bed.  It  was  a  solemn  occasion,  and  I  re- 
gretted that  I  had  not  a  room  of  my  own  to  which  to 
retire. 

When  all  these  young  men  were  assembled  in  a  semi- 
circle around  their  chief,  he  said  : 

"  Well,  gentlemen,  where  are  you  going  .''  " 

They  looked  at  one  another  without  speaking. 

The  Marshal  resumed : 

"  What !  You  are  unwounded,  you  are  in  good  health, 
and  you  leave  the  army  !  Do  you  think  I  should  be  turn- 
ing my  back  upon  it,  if  I  could  be  of  any  use  to  it  at  this 
time?  " 

The  dismay  reached  its  height.  At  last,  M.  Achilla 
Delamarre  took  courage,  and  said,  apparently  in  the  name 
of  them  all,  since  nobody  contradicted  him  : 

"Monsieur  le  Mar^chal,  you  are  our  leader,  our 'gover- 
nor ; '  we  must  follow  your  fortunes.  Besides,  there  is 
nothnig  more  to  be  done  here,  for  the  Emperor  has  gone, 
and  the  army  no  longer  exists." 

These  words,  so  constantly  dinned  into  his  ears,  always 
14 


202  MEMOIRS  OF 

infuriated  your  father.  "  In  that  case,  gentlemen,"  he  re- 
plied, "we  shall  reconstitute  the  army  and  bring  it  in  the 
spring,  with  flags  flying,  to  the  Vistula.  Wait  for  me  there, 
and  go  and  offer  your  services  to  the  heads  of  corps  who, 
more  fortunate  than  I,  are  still  able  to  be  of  use  at  their 
posts." 

Not  one  of  the  gentlemen  strove  to  argue  against  the 
Marshal's  opinion.  They  withdrew  in  silence,  and  their 
chief,  after  thus  vigorously  expressing  his  thoughts,  did  not 
return  to  the  subject.  He  had  the  less  excuse  fordoing  so, 
as  each  succeeding  day  went  more  and  more  to  prove  the 
sad  truth  that  there  was  no  army  left. 

The  next  day,  M.  Le  Tellier,  who  had  so  nobly  taken 
care  of  us,  took  the  road  for  France,  accompanied  by 
Messieurs  Delamarre,  de  la  Chaise,  and  the  rest,  while 
Messieurs  Jacqueminot  and  de  Bourcet,  still  enfeebled  by 
their  dysentery,  accompanied  the  Marshal,  and  travelled  in 
the  second  carriage.  After  a  time  M.  Jacqueminot  pro- 
cured a  little  sledge,  and  going  ahead  of  us  every  morn- 
ing, he  bravely  occupied  himself,  so  long  as  we  remained  on 
foreign  ground,  in  preparing  lodgings  for  us. 

All  more  or  less  restored  by  our  rest,  we  left  Gumbinnen 
to  go  to  Wehlau,  which  was  still  in  the  hands  of  the  French. 
But  the  principal  authority  of  the  town  was  absent  on  our 
arrival,  and  we  were  unable  to  obtain  any  comfort. 

Our  stay  at  Gumbinnen  had  enabled  many  of  our  com- 
panions in  misfortune,  deserters  all,  as  the  Marshal  called 
them,  to  precede  or  await  us.  They  had  all  taken  the  road 
in  the  dress  they  had  on  at  the  time.     Some  were  covered 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT 


2C3 


with  furs,  and  looked  like  bears  ;  others,  who  had  lost  all 
they  had  and  were  unable  to  buy  anything  in  its  stead,  were 
clad  in  their  full  uniforms,  as,  for  instance,  General  de 
Chasseloup  of  the  Artillery.  He  shivered  beneath  his  gold 
lace,  in  his  sleigh  formed  of  four  planks.  Unable  to  keep 
his  whole  body  warm,  he  had  found  a  means  of  preserving 
his  ears,  and  wore  a  cotton  nightcap  pulled  down  to  meet 
the  collar  of  his  uniform,  and  over  this  another  cap  of  grey 
taffeta.  When  he  learned  who  we  were,  he  arrived,  accom- 
panied by  Colonel  Bodson,  of  the  same  branch  of  the  ser- 
vice, to  call  upon  the  Marshal.  Neither  of  them  thought  of 
their  personal  appearance  :  a  matter  of  small  importance 
truly  !  The  Marshal  was  touched  by  their  eagerness  to  pay 
their  respects  to  him,  and  at  first  received  them  very  w^ell  ; 
but  the  scene  changed  when  they  started  their  litany  of  the 
misery  we  had  left  behind  us,  and  of  which  they  knew  some- 
thing, having  left  Wilna  later  than  any  of  those  who  had 
caught  us  up  as  yet.  When  the  General  had  finished,  the 
Colonel  took  up  the  thread.  I  do  not  know  how  long  this 
would  have  gone  on,  if  the  Marshal,  irritated  beyond 
endurance,  had  not  suddenly  exclaimed  : 

"  My  dear  Bodson,  do  blow  your  nose  !  " 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  had  become  very  necessary ;  and 
while  this  operation  was  taking  place,  the  Marshal,  bowing 
to  the  two  gentlemen,  closed  the  carriage-door,  and  we 
drove  off  There  was  no  laughter  during  this  journey. 
But  afterwards,  when  my  husband  and  I  have  recalled  this 
incident,  we  have  often  made  merry  over  it. 

To  return  to  Wehlau,  where  we  spent  a  night  as  cold  as 


204  MEMOIRS  OF 

ice.  We  ought  to  have  grown  accustomed  to  it,  perhaps, 
but  we  had  not.  Our  meagre  repast  did  not  contribute  to 
warm  our  blood,  and  we  were  starting  at  daybreak,  shiver- 
ing with  cold,  when  we  saw  coming  up  to  the  carriage  a 
young  sub-commissary,  looking  very  spruce,  covered  with 
gold  lace,  with  a  charming  face  and  a  great  air  of  fashion. 
Contrasting  with  all  this  elegance  was  an  enormous  loaf  of 
bread,  with  a  hole  in  the  middle,  through  which  M.  Solikoff 
(that  was  his  name)  had  put  his  arm.  After  respectfully 
greeting  the  Marshal,  he  turned  to  me,  and  presenting  the 
loaf  to  me,  said  : 

"  It  is  all  I  am  able  to  offer  you,  madame  la  duchesse,  as 
a  poor  compensation  for  the  privations  which  you  must 
have  suffered  in  this  place,  from  which  I  was  absent  yes- 
terday. I  shall  find  it  very  difficult  to  console  myself  for 
the  inhospitality  of  which  the  Marshal  and  you  have  been 
the  victims  in  a  spot  where  I  am  supposed  to  exercise  some 
authority." 

We  thanked  him  as  much  as  one  can  do  when  the  north 
wind  is  cutting  one  in  two.  He  bowed  to  us  with  an  air  of 
great  emotion.  ...  I  never  saw  this  young  man  again,  but 
later  I  met  his  brother  in  Paris.  .  .  .  He  asked  to  be  intro- 
duced to  me,  and  I  was  happy  to  be  able  to  tell  him  that  I 
had  not  forgotten  that  loaf  of  bread  which  had  been  offered 
with  such  kindly  grace  and  devotion.  It  was,  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  a  great  help  to  us,  and  lasted  us  until  we  reached 
Konigsberg  on  the  evening  of  the  same  day. 

Here  we  were,  in  a  large  and  handsome  hotel,  in  the 
centre  of  a  capital.     We  thought  we  should  now,  by  taking 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT 


20; 


a  few  days'  repose,  be  able  to  assure  our  welfare.  Vain 
hope!  The  Marshal  suffered  considerably;  I  found  him 
irritated  ;  I  feared  he  was  feverish,  and  was  anxious  that 
he  should  have  calm  and  silence  ;  but  I  foresaw  some  mis- 
hap. He  was  occupying  a  huge  room,  and  the  dinner-table 
was  laid  before  his  bed.  During  the  meal  he  endeavoured 
to  distract  his  attention  from  the  clamour  which  he  heard  in 
the  next  room  ;  but  it  became  so  great  that  he  asked  Mr 
Jacqueminot  to  go  and  find  out  what  was  happening.  The 
latter  returned  with  a  gloomy  face,  and  without  categori- 
cally explaining  himself,  tried  to  prepare  my  husband  for 
the  indefinite  prolongation  of  the  noise  in  question.  Not 
caring  to  be  further  enlightened,  the  Marshal  dismissed  us 
and  sank  back  into  his  pillows.  ...  I  never  learnt  whether 
he  slept.  If  he  guessed  the  nature  of  the  toasts  which 
twenty  or  thirty  Prussians  in  the  next  room  were  drinking 
to  our  disasters,  he  must  have  suffered  cruel  nightmares. 
I  never  ventured  to  ask  him. 

These  inhabitants  of  Konigsberg  were  under  all  the 
effervescence  of  the  first  news  that  had  reached  them. 
They  knew  of  the  Emperor's  departure  and  of  all  that 
followed.  They  had  just  begun  their  celebration  when 
they  were  asked  to  moderate  their  cheering  out  of  con- 
sideration for  a  wounded  French  general  officer  who  had 
just  arrived  at  the  hotel.  I  do  not  know  whether  your 
fathc:r's  name  was  mentioned ;  but  they  took  no  notice  of 
the  request,  which  even  seemed  to  redouble  their  ardour. 
This  savage  conduct  is  an  isolated  instance  in  the  Mar- 
shal's life.      Among  his  enemies,  as  well   as  among  his 


2c6  MEMOIRS  OF 

friends,  he  was  always  an  object  of  regard  and  delicate 
consideration. 

From  Konigsberg  onwards  we  had  recourse  to  the  post, 
and  we  arrived  at  Brandenburg  on  the  evening  of  the  17th 
of  December.  Before  reaching  Dantzig,  our  next  halting- 
place,  the  Marshal  wished  to  warm  himself  at  Elbing.  We 
had  scarcely  alighted  at  a  hotel,  which  I  can  still  picture  in 
my  mind,  and  where  the  door  was  opened  to  us  with  some- 
what bad  grace,  when  we  received  a  visit  from  General, 
then  Colonel,  Farine,  who  was  in  command  there,  and  who 
told  us  that  he  had  all  the  difficulty  in  the  world  in  pre- 
serving our  military  position,  so  hostile  had  Prussia  become 
to  us. 

Proofs  of  the  miseries  of  the  retreat  had  already  dis- 
played themselves.  The  hospitals  were  crowded  with 
sick,  for  the  greatest  part  suffering  from  typhus.  Poor 
General  Pajol  arrived  a  few  hours  after  we  had  left,  and 
he,  who  had  so  brilliantly  endured  both  his  wounds  and 
his  fatigues  during  this  terrible  campaign,  was  attacked 
by  the  reigning  epidemic,  and  so  severely  that  he  would 
infallibly  have  succumbed  if  a  French  doctor  had  not 
devoted  himself  to  him  and  fed  and  covered  him  with 
quinine.  He  powdered  his  body  with  it  unceasingly,  and 
saved  him  with  the  aid  of  this  supreme  remedy.  But  this 
treatment  was  not  within  reach  of  the  generality  of  suf- 
ferers, who  died  in  numbers  of  the  contagion. 

General  Rapp,  who  was  in  command  at  Dantzig  when 
we  arrived  there,  had  left  this  important  position,  by  order 
of  the  Emperor,  to  go  and  fight  in  Russia.     He  had  come 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  207 

back  no  less  energetic  and  devoted  than  he  had  gone  out, 
but  broken  down  with  fatigue  and  with  both  ears  frozen. 
He  had  preceded  us  by  a  few  days,  on  going  to  resume  his 
command,  and  had  declared  to  the  Marshal,  when  he  met 
him,  that  he  would  get  a  lodging  ready  for  him,  and  would 
force  him,  in  spite  of  himself,  to  take  his  rest  for  some 
time  within  the  ramparts  under  his  command.  Excellent 
man !  what  an  amount  of  care  and  kindness  he  lavished 
upon  us ! 

It  was  impossible  to  refuse  the  lavish  and  at  the  same 
time  delicate  hospitality  of  this  generous  heart.  The 
General's  position  at  Dantzig  was  that  of  a  sort  of  vice- 
roy. But  while  able  long  to  enjoy  the  advantages  of  this 
position,  he  was  none  the  less  able  valiantly  to  defend  it 
in  the  bad  days  that  followed. 

Our  stay  gave  time  to  a  number  of  refugees  from  the 
great  rout  to  catch  us  up  in  this  fortress,  where  all  of 
them,  feeling  themselves  in  a  place  of  safety,  seized  a 
longer  or  shorter  period  of  rest ;  and  soon,  as  at  VVilna, 
the  Marshal's  rooms  became  at  once  a  head-quarters  and 
a  sort  of  ambulance  where  everyone  arrived  with  his 
wounds,  mental  or  physical. 

One  of  the  first  who  followed  us  to  Dantzig  was  General 
Maison.  Unfortunately  he  was  not  accompanied  by  his 
Chief  of  Staff,  General  de  Lorencez,  who  had  been  left  be- 
hind on  the  road,  ill.  His  condition,  when  General  Maison 
left  him,  had  not  yet  attained  the  serious  stage  which  it 
reached  later.     Nevertheless,  the  news  saddened  us  greatly. 

After  a  week's  stay,  we  took  a  very  affectionate  leave  of 


2o8  MEMOIRS  OF 

General  Rapp,  whom  I  was  delighted  to  meet  again  later 
in  France,  and  with  whom  we  kept  up  excellent  relations. 
I  will  abridge  the  details  of  our  journey  from  Dantzig  to 
Berlin,  because  the  interest  of  a  journey  diminishes  to- 
gether with  its  danger.  The  temperature  had  become 
milder,  and  the  snow,  partly  thawed,  allowed  us  to  catch 
glimpses  of  a  landscape  which  was  said  to  be  rather  pretty, 
although  it  was  not  possible  to  judge  of  it  at  the  time. 
M.  Jacqueminot,  who  acted  as  our  advance-guard,  had 
begun  the  journey  in  a  sleigh,  being  unable  as  yet  to  ride 
his  horse,  he  said.  When  the  snow  began  to  fail  him,  he 
nevertheless  persisted  in  the  use  of  his  vehicle,  to  which 
he  clung  in  spite  of  the  thaw. 

On  the  31st  of  December,  we  slept  at  Zehden,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Oder,  which  we  had  to  cross  the  next  morn- 
ing, at  break  of  day.  There  was  no  bridge,  and  the  ferry 
was  the  ordinary  means  of  crossing  ;  but  this  was  rendered 
impossible  by  the  ice.  On  the  other  hand,  they  said  that 
the  ice  was  not  strong  enough  to  venture  upon.  It  was  a 
serious  predicament.  "  Wait,"  said  the  inhabitants ;  "  in 
a  few  days  the  ice  will  break  and  allow  the  ferry  to  work. 
This  proposal  had  not  the  slightest  success  with  the  Mar- 
shal, who  ordered  the  postillions  to  drive  on.  In  a  heavy 
carriage  with  six  horses  we  undertook  this  terrible  passage 
over  the  cracking  ice,  which  seemed  to  give  way  beneath  us. 
Again  the  fate  of  the  second  carriage  increased  my  alarm. 
"  Even  if  we  escape."  I  thought,  "  we  shall  certainly  have 
shaken  the  ice  in  such  a  manner  as  to  double  the  dang-er 
of  those  behind."     God  watched  over  us  yet  once  more 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  209 

and  at  last,  on  the  ist  of  January  1813,  we  entered  Berlin. 
We  alighted,  at  five  o'clock  in  the  evening,  at  the  Hotel 
de  Russie  in  the  Unter  den  Linden.  There,  as  a  New 
Year's  surprise,  we  found  the  famous  and  ominous  29th 
Bulletin  of  the  Grande  Armee,  which  had  crushed  all 
France. 

The  Marshal,  who,  as  you  know,  would  have  liked  to 
keep  to  himself  the  secret  of  our  disasters,  was  dismayed 
and  confounded  on  reading  this  bulletin,  and,  turning  to 
us,  expressed  in  energetic  and  eloquent  gestures  that  there 
was  nothing  more  to  be  done.  The  cup  was  rendered  still 
more  bitter  to  my  husband  because  of  the  place  in  which 
we  were  made  to  drain  it.  Berlin,  in  which  we  had  twice 
reigned,  Berlin  reading  these  deplorable  avowals  with  us 
became  really  hateful  to  us.  Nevertheless,  the  kindness  of 
its  Sovereign  was  not  withheld  from  us  during  the  short 
time  which  we  were  obliged  to  spend  there.  From  Potsdam, 
where  he  was  still  staying,  he  sent  his  brother-in-law. 
Prince  Radziwill,  to  enquire  after  my  husband's  state  of 
health. 

It  was  at  Berlin  that  I  for  the  last  time  saw  the  Comte 
Louis  de  Narbonne.  He  had  undergone  all  the  miseries 
of  the  retreat  from  Moscow  without  losing,  in  appear- 
ance at  any  rate,  his  graceful  and  communicative  gaiety. 
Nevertheless,  the  courageous  old  man's  features  bore  the 
impress  of  his  fatigues  and  privations. 

Before  leaving,  we  were  joined  by  Victor,  accompanied 
by  M.  de  Thermes,  with  whom  he  had  travelled  from 
Wilna.      They   had,   they    told    us,   mutually   saved    each 


2,o  MEMOIRS  OF 

other's  noses  by  throwing  handfuls  of  snow  at  one  an- 
other's faces  when  the  dull  pallor  caused  by  the  frost  had 
threatened  danger  to  that  organ. 

At  Leipzig,  M.  Jacqueminot  had  prepared  our  lodg- 
ing in  one  of  the  finest  hotels  I  have  ever  seen.  We 
arrived  early,  and  if  the  weather  had  not  been  so  wretched, 
I  should  have  liked  to  go  over  the  town.  Victor,  how- 
ever, who,  if  not  more  inclined  for  sight-seeing,  was  more 
weather-proof  than  I,  went  out  at  once  and  did  not  return 
before  night.  He  had  not  only  inspected  the  public 
monuments,  but  also  the  more  notable  shops,  which  were 
full  of  English  products,  which  were  almost  unknown  to  our 
young  generation,  and  he  brought  me  back  a  charming 
specimen  of  his  discoveries.  It  was  a  muslin  gown  of  the 
most  marvellously  fine  network.  The  pattern  was  fluted, 
very  rich,  and  in  perfect  taste.  I  was  touched  to  the 
heart  by  this  present  bought  with  the  savings  of  his 
pay  as  a  Lieutenant  in  the  Imperial  Guard.  But  there 
was  one  still  more  satisfied  than  I,  and  that  was  your 
father. 

Before  our  return  to  civilized  climes,  I  had  taken  no  heed 
of  our  respective  costumes,  and  it  was  only  just  about  this 
time  that  I  commenced  to  examine  them.  They  were 
pitiful  to  look  upon  :  we  were  really  in  rags  and  tatters. 
I  shall  always  remember  how  I  first  made  this  discovery. 
It  was  a  fine,  sunny,  winter's  morning.  The  Marshal,  who 
was  beginning  to  walk  a  little  about  his  room,  wanted  to 
try  the  air  outside,  and  leaning  on  Victor's  arm,  he  slowly 
climbed  a  little  slope.     He  was  dressed  in  a  dark-brown 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  211 

fur  coat,  with,  on  his  head,  a  black  astrakhan  cap,  dragged 
down  over  his  ears  ;  and  he  would  have  reminded  me  of  a 
tame  bear,  if  his  legs  had  not  been  encased  in  a  certain 
pair  of  boots,  well  lined  with  fur,  but  presenting  to  the  out- 
side view  nothing  save  a  blue  and  white  striped  ticking 
(the  ticking  of  a  feather-bed).  These  two  striped  legs 
emerging  from  under  the  fur  coat  had  an  indescribable 
effect.  My  uncle,  when  one  did  not  look  at  him  closely, 
had  a  brigand  air  which  made  me  shed  tears  with  laughter. 
My  own  fur  pelisse  was  hanging  down  in  rags. 

As  to  our  servants,  they  were  frightful  to  look  at.  Their 
poor  faces,  especially  Pils'  and  the  cook's,  still  bore  the 
traces  of  the  frosts  which  they  had  faced  on  the  box-seat 
of  the  carriage. 

We  slept  successively  at  Weimar,  Eisenach,  Fuld, 
Hanau,  and,  at  last,  at  Mayence,  where  we  were  all 
the  more  pleased  to  stay  because  at  that  time  it 
was  in  France.  We  alighted  at  the  Hotel  des  Trois- 
Couronnes.  Soon  arrived  good  old  Marshal  Kellermann, 
with  his  suite  of  aides-de-camp,  all  his  contemporaries. 
A  number  of  visits  followed,  and  M.  de  Bourcct  sat 
down  to  the  piano  and  sang !  You  can  imagine  how 
pleasant  and  sweet  for  us  was  this  first  return  to  civiliza- 
tion, this  first  sign  of  security.  With  what  delight  poor 
Dr.  Campiomont  enjoyed  the  good  cheer  of  the  Hotel  dcs 
Trois-Couronnes  :  ever  since  Wilna,  he  had  been  tormented 
by  the  craving  which  so  often  follows  upon  dysentery,  and 
had  suffered  more  than  any  of  us  from  the  privations  of  the 
journey.     At  the  moment  when  the  Marshal  was  about  to 


212  MEMOIRS  OF 

go  to  sleep,  he  was  brought  the  password  for  the  night : 
"  Beresina,  Reggio,"  a  comph'ment  of  good  Marshal  Keller- 
mann's,  which  proved  the  justice  of  his  opinion  of  him  who 
had  saved  the  remnants  of  our  army. 

From  Mayence  we  went  on  to  Homburg,  and  from 
there  to  Metz.  Our  friend  Gouy  hastened  to  our  hotel. 
At  sight  of  him,  my  husband  displayed  a  delight  and 
happiness  which  did  everybody  good  to  see. 

At  last  I  returned  to  Bar,  after  a  very  melancholy 
absence  of  four  months.  Assuredly,  bringing  back  my 
husband  almost  restored  to  health ;  seeing  once  more 
my  mother,  who  was  awaiting  me  at  my  sister's ;  and 
restoring  my  uncle  safe  and  sound  to  his  family,  I  owed 
endless  thanks  to  God,  and  I  offered  them  from  the  very 
bottom  of  my  heart. 

Need  I  say  that  we  were  received  with  open  arms  ?  We 
divided  our  winter  life  between  Bar  and  Jeand'heurs.  It 
was  cold  wherever  we  went ;  but  what  was  this  temperature 
to  us,  compared  to  what  we  had  lately  gone  through  }  Be- 
sides, we  had  not  the  slightest  inclination  to  give  our  guests, 
who  arrived  from  every  side,  an  idea  of  what  we  had 
suffered  from  the  temperature. 

While  your  father  was  gradually  completing  his  re- 
covery, I  began  to  pay  my  tribute,  in  the  shape  of  an 
internal  inflammation,  to  whose  progress  I  refused  to 
listen.  Mme.  de  Lorencez,  whom  we  found  quite  re- 
covered, and  carrying  in  her  arms  her  little  Victorine, 
set  out  to  go  and  meet  her  husband,  who  was  at  last 
returning  to  France,  having  got  over  the  serious  illness 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  213 

which  had  overtaken  him  on  the  road.     They  came  back 
so  radiant  with  happiness  that  it  was  a  delight  to  see. 

While  we  were  all  seeking  repose  after  our  own  fashion, 
the  Emperor  was  very  differently  employed.  The  French 
Public  at  last  began  to  understand  the  reason  for  the  truth- 
ful and  crushing  confession  contained  in  the  29th  Bulletin. 
Was  it  not  necessary,  in  fact,  to  avow  every  loss  and  every 
disaster,  so  as  to  be  entitled  to  demand  every  assistance .'' 
And  must  not  our  country,  which  seemed  exhausted  by 
the  Russian  war,  attempt  a  new  effort  in  order  to  face 
the  Leipzig  campaign  .''  Assisted  by  England,  the  war 
in  Spain  was  devouring  us  on  the  south,  while  Russia, 
now  openly  supported  by  Prussia,  was  advancing  towards 
the  Oder,  where  the  Viceroy  had  succeeded  in  reconstruct- 
ing a  corps  of  about  forty  thousand  men,  the  valiant 
remains  of  the  Grande  Armee. 


CHAPTER   VI 


Journey  to  Paris — Illness  of  the  Duchesse  de  Reggio — The  duchess  is  pre- 
sented at  Court — The  Emperor — Marie  Louise  —  Presentation  to  the 
Empress  Mother — The  Empress  Josephine — Queen  Hortense — Return 
to  Bar-le-Duc — The  Chevalier  de  Boufflers — The  Campaign  of  1813 — 
Oudinot's  important  share  in  the  Battle  of  Bautzen — He  is  placed  at  the 
head  of  the  army  destined  to  operate  against  Berlin — His  objection  to 
this  movement,  which  he  considers  impracticable — He  accepts  from  a 
sense  of  duty — He  finds  it  impossible  to  concentrate  his  forces,  and 
receives  a  check  at  Gross-Beeren — Part  played  by  Oudinot  at  Dennewitz 
— His  energy  at  Leipzig — He  protects  the  retreat — He  is  attacked  by 
typhus — Brought  back  to  Bar  in  imminent  danger  of  death — The  first 
preparations  for  the  French  Campaign. 


The  Emperor's  measures  advanced  with  such  rapidity 
that  it  was  hoped  we  should  be  able  to  enter  into  campaign 
in  the  course  of  April.  In  the  middle  of  March,  the 
Marshal  desired  without  further  .delay  to  go  and  show  the 
Emperor  that  he  was  in  a  fit  condition  to  resume  active 
service. 

My  mother  had  gone  before  to  await  us  at  Vitry,  where 
the  Marshal,  my  sister  and  I  arrived  with  the  intention  of 
spending  a  day  with  her.  We  knew  that  Enguerrand  de 
Coucy  had  left  Saint-Cyr  with  the  grade  of  sub-lieutenant, 
but  we  were  far  from  suspecting  that,  before  being  able  to 
reach  Hancourt,  he  had  fallen  ill  at  my  mother's.  We 
found  all  his  relations  in  despair  .  .  .  But  he  was  quite 
conscious,  and  wished  to  see  us  .  .  .  The  poor  child 
showed  us  his  epaulet,  which  he  hid  under  his  bolster  so 


MEMOIRS  OF  MARSHAL  OUDINOT  215 

that  it  might  not  leave  him,  and  bade  us  au  revoir  in  a  way 
that  broke  my  heart  .  .  .  The  death  of  this  young  man, 
who  was  a  great  favourite  of  the  Marshal's,  was  a  deep-felt 
blow  to  all  of  us  .  .  . 

I  myself  was  very  ill,  and  it  was  under  melancholy 
auspices  that  I  made  my  first  journey  to  Paris,  which  we 
entered  the  next  day  through  the  Faubourg  Saint-Martin. 

It  was  about  four  o'clock  in  the  evening  when  we  arrived ; 
an  icy  rain  obscured  my  view  of  the  streets  in  what  was  at 
that  time  one  of  the  dreariest  quarters  of  the  town.  The 
faces,  all  new  to  me,  of  the  servants  attached  to  my 
husband's  town-house  looked  to  me  like  phantoms  seen 
in  my  fever.  I  passed  a  bad  night,  and  in  the  morning 
my  distressed  husband  and  sister  sent  to  fetch  the  most 
famous  doctors.  Victor  undertook  the  errand,  and  soon  I 
was  visited  by  Drs.  Dubois  and  Roux.  The  inflammation 
from  which  I  was  suffering  had  reached  its  climax,  and 
the  two  heads  of  their  profession  agreed  that  I  should  be 
ordered  continual  baths. 

I  spent  in  this  way  almost  the  whole  of  the  first  few 
days  after  my  arrival.  I  was  young  and  strong,  and  when 
my  illness  was  once  mastered,  my  convalescence  proceeded 
quickly.  It  was  well  it  did  so,  for  our  stay  was  necessarily 
limited  owing  to  the  new  command  which  was  being 
prepared  for  the  Marshal. 

Nothing  was  spoken  of  but  war,  a  melancholy  subject 
for  a  convalescent  patient ;  but  I  had  to  dominate  myself 
to  be  able  to  cope  with  the  present,  which  was  so  busy,  and 
with  the  future,  which  was  so  deeply  laden  with  clouds. 


2i6  MEMOIRS  OF 

While  still  on  my  bed  of  sickness  I  received  a  visit  from 
the  Marechale  Augereau,  Duchesse  de  Castiglione.  The 
beautiful  Adele  was  just  as  charming,  no  more  and  no  less, 
in  all  her  luxurious  finery  as  in  the  simple  dress  to  which 
she  had  lent  so  much  elegance  at  Vitry.  We  talked  at 
length  of  our  young  past,  of  our  brilliant  future  and  of 
the  present,  and  she  gave  me  much  inform.ation  which 
the  similarity  of  our  positions  caused  to  be  very  useful 
to  me. 

So  soon  as  I  had  recovered  part  of  my  strength,  my 
husband  made  me  visit  some  of  the  marvels  of  Paris.  I 
was  astonished  at  all  I  saw ;  but  although  my  youth 
inclined  me  to  be  delighted  with  everything,  this  visit  was 
disturbed  by  many  sad  preoccupations. 

In  order  to  save  my  strength,  the  Marshal  asked  and 
obtained  leave  for  both  my  presentations  at  the  Tuileries 
to  take  place  on  the  same  day.  The  Duchesse  de  Bassano 
was  to  present  me,  and  I  went  to  fetch  her  in  my  carriage. 
Tall,  beautiful  and  cold,  the  duchess  overawed  me,  and 
her  kindness  to  me,  which  was  natural  owing  to  our  intimate 
relations  with  her  husband,  helped  me  but  little;  for,  accus- 
tomed gradually  to  the  lofty  situation  she  occupied,  she 
had  either  never  experienced,  or  had  long  ago  forgotten, 
the  agony  of  timidity. 

It  must  be  granted  that  mine  was  very  permissible  under 
the  circumstances.  In  fact,  when  I  reflected  that  this  great 
phantasmagoria  which  had  so  filled  my  imagination  was 
about  to  be  realized  ;  that  I  was  about  to  see  and  hear  the 
Emperor,  and  that  I  should  have  to  reply  to  him,  I  quite 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  217 

lost  my  head.  I  could  not  understand  my  companion's 
calmness  ;  she  examined  me  tranquilly,  without  thinking 
that  we  were  approaching  the  Tuileries,  where  we  soon 
arrived.  The  Emperor  was  at  mass.  We  naturally  waited 
for  his  return,  but  I  cannot  remember  in  which  room  :  I 
took  so  little  stock  of  my  surroundings  that  during  all  the 
fifteen  years  of  the  Restoration  I  have  looked  for  it  in 
vain. 

We  sat  down  amid  a  number  of  people,  and  as  any  one 
presented  for  the  first  time  is  always  an  object  of  curiosity, 
I  was  much  stared  at.  But  nothing  could  increase  my  dis- 
tress. I  was  absorbed  by  a  single  thought,  and  all  the  rest 
was  but  confusion.  Everything  seemed  in  a  whirl  in  that 
salon,  I  felt  ready  to  faint,  and  I  turned  so  pale  that  one 
of  the  principal  officers  of  the  Emperor's  household  (the 
Comte  de  Canouville,  who  was  on  duty  that  day)  came  and 
offered  me  a  glass  of  malaga  and  a  biscuit.  I  refused, 
with  thanks,  and  almost  at  the  same  moment  a  significant 
tumult  roused  me  from  my  lethargy.  We  all  rose,  and  the 
Emperor  rapidly  crossed  the  room  in  which  we  were. 

The  door  was  scarcely  closed  behind  him  when  it  opened 
again  and  our  names  were  called  out.  I  followed  the 
Duchesse  de  Bassano  and  we  entered  the  closet  in  which 
the  Emperor  was  awaiting  us.  He  took  a  step  in  our 
direction,  and  nodding  rather  than  bowing,  said  : 

"  Good-day,  Madame  la  Duchesse  de  Bassano." 

Then  turning  to  me,  he  gave  me  the  same  nod,  and  with- 
out changing  his  form  of  speech  or  his  tone,  said  : 

"Good-day,  Madame  la  Duchesse  de  Reggio." 
15 


2i8  MEMOIRS  OF 

I  courtesied,  for  by  this  time  I  had  recovered  my  wits. 
After  a  second's  pause,  the  Emperor  enquired  after  the 
Marshal,  and  then  said  : 

"You  are  an  old  married  woman,  madame." 

He  followed  these  words  with  an  arch  smile,  which  lit  up 
his  face  like  a  ray.  I  replied  that  indeed  I  had  been 
married  fifteen  months,  but  that  circumstances  had  until 
then  prevented  my  presentation. 

"  I  know,"  replied  the  Emperor,  seriously,  but  with  a 
shade  of  interest.  "  You  have  made  a  long  journey,  and," 
he  added,  earnestly,  "  a  very  cold  one." 

I  bowed  ;  he  waited  a  moment,  and  then  said  : 

"  You  come  from  Champagne." 

When  I  had  replied,  he  again  asked  after  my  husband, 
and  turning  towards  my  companion,  he  talked  to  her,  I 
believe,  of  her  children  ;  he  then  bowed  to  us  both  and 
gave  us  the  signal  to  leave. 

It  was  thought  that  the  Emperor  had  received  me  very 
well.  This  was  my  impression  too.  It  remained  on  my 
mind,  and  the  remembrance  of  this  short  interview  will 
never  be  effaced  from  it.  I  can  still  hear  his  voice  and  see 
that  deep  blue  eye  which  one  could  no  more  look  into  than 
one  can  look  into  the  sun,  but  which  one  felt  was  there, 
while  instinctively  and  for  all  time  realizing  its  power. 

This  was  my  only  interview  with  the  Emperor.  You  can 
understand  that  everything  must  seem  insipid  to  me  after 
this  reception ;  and  I  faced  without  any  great  emotion  the 
brilliant  circle  of  the  Empress  Marie  Louise  and  the 
inquisitive  gaze  of  her  ladies.    The  Empress,  tall,  stiff,  shy, 


MARSHAL  OUDINOr  219 

and  very  thin,  came  forward  a  step  to  meet  us.  She  had 
learnt  that  my  health  had  suffered  seriously,  and  she 
addressed  to  me  on  this  subject  a  few  questions  which  were 
kindly  worded,  if  insignificant  in  tone.  This  lasted  two 
or  three  minutes,  and  my  duties  were  over  for  that  day.  I 
found  your  father  awaiting  me  impatiently  ;  he  was  satisfied 
with  the  account  I  gave  him,  and  according  to  custom,  we 
went  the  same  morning  to  thank  the  Empress's  Mistress  ot 
the  Robes.  This  was  the  Comtesse  de  Montebello.  She 
seemed  to  me  to  be  worn  out  with  her  duties  :  that  is  all  I 
remember  of  my  visit. 

A  week  later,  the  Marshal  was  invited  alone  to  the 
Empress's  circle.  He  either  did  not  go,  or  else  only  just 
showed  himself;  and  while  I  am  on  this  subject,  I  will 
anticipate  two  months  and  finish  it.  Your  father  was 
walking  by  the  Emperor's  side,  in  the  environs  of  Dresden, 
when  the  latter  suddenly  asked  after  me. 

"  Sire,"  replied  the  Marshal,  "  I  did  not  think  Your 
Majesty  remembered  I  had  a  wife." 

"What  do  you  mean?"  asked  the  Emperor,  sharply. 

"  Why,  Sire,  she  was  presented  to  you  and  to  the 
Empress,  and  Her  Majesty  has  never  invited  her  to  her 
circle.  I  was  very  much  hurt,  because  her  rank  entitles 
her  to  it." 

"  Why  don't  you  make  me  responsible  for  all  the  blunders 
of  a  Mistress  of  the  Robes?"  said  the  Emperor.  "Look 
here,  would  you  like  your  wife  to  hav^e  a  place  at  the 
Empress's  Court?  This  will  prove  to  you,  I  hope,  that  I 
have  not  forgotten  the  Duchesse  de  Reggio." 


2  20  MEMOIRS  OF 

The  Marshal  thanked  hiin,  and  soon  events  took  upon 
themselves  to  solve  this  question.  I  return  to  Paris,  to 
conclude  the  story  of  my  other  presentations. 

I  first  went  to  the  Emperor's  mother,  who  was  visited,  by 
her  son's  desire,  with  the  most  formal  ceremony.  She  was 
very  kind  and  obliging  in  the  reception  she  gave  me.  I 
was  next  taken  to  Queen  Julie,  at  the  Petit  Luxembourg, 
a  kind  and  simple-minded  princess,  who  endured,  rather 
than  sought,  her  momentary  greatness.  For  that  matter, 
she  had  only  for  a  little  while  occupied  the  throne  of 
Spain,  where  her  husband,  King  Joseph,  had  enjoyed  a 
short  reign. 

The  other  Sovereigns  belonging  to  the  Emperor's  family 
were  absent  from  Paris ;  but  there  remained  a  duty  for  me 
to  fulfil  at  Malmaison,  and  it  was  with  pleasant  anticipa- 
tions that  I  set  out  for  there  one  morning  with  my  husband, 
who  had  reserved  to  himself  the  exclusive  right  of  present- 
ing me  to  the  Empress  Josephine. 

The  graciousness  of  her  reception  even  surpassed  my 
expectations.  After  making  me  sit  down  on  the  sofa  by 
her  side,  she  addressed  to  me  that  crowd  of  affectionate 
and  obliging  questions  which  the  sight  of  a  young  and  shy 
woman  can  suggest  to  a  kind  heart.  She  held  in  her  hand 
a  spray  of  white  camellias,  fresh  from  her  magnificent  hot- 
houses. She  handed  it  to  me  with  infinite  grace.  I  was 
touched,  and  half  rose  to  receive  it,  and  the  Marshal,  who 
followed  all  my  movements  with  his  eyes,  told  me  after- 
wards that  he  was  contented  with  the  manner  in  which  I 
had  gone  through  this  little  piece  of  pantomime. 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  221 

"Have  you  been  presented?"  asked  Josephine;  and  I 
felt  that  I  turned  red  as  I  answered  : 

"  Yes,  Madame." 

"  To  the  Emperor  and  to  ,  .  .  the  Empress  ? "  she 
resumed. 

And  I  felt  that  I  blushed  still  more  foolishly  as  I  replied 
to  this  last  question  with  a  second,  "  Yes,  Madame." 

Soon  after,  the  Empress  rose  and  went  over  to  the 
Marshal,  who  was  talking  at  the  further  end  of  the  drawing- 
room.  She  had  not  seen  him  for  two  years.  He  compli- 
mented her  on  her  air  of  good  health. 

"Yes,"  she  replied,  in  a  voice  of  gentle  resignation,  and 
with  a  sad  smile  ;  "  you  see  it  agrees  better  with  me  not  to 
be  the  reigning  Empress." 

She  asked  us  to  dinner  on  the  following  Sunday,  and  I 
then  for  the  first  time  met  her  daughter.  Queen  Hortense, 
who  placed  me  next  to  her  at  table  and  captivated  me  with 
the  very  special  charm  of  her  conversation. 

"  Tell  me,"  she  said,  "  all  about  your  marriage  ;  I  have 
always  heard  that  the  circumstances  were  particularly 
interesting." 

From  what  she  told  me,  I  saw  that  her  informants  had 
made  up,  out  of  a  icw  truths  and  a  number  of  fables,  quite 
a  little  drama.  I  told  her  the  facts  of  the  case,  to  which 
she  listened  with  marked  good-will.  The  dinner  seemed 
very  quickly  over. 

The  Marshal  next  took  me  to  pay  a  number  of 
calls.  We  dined  with  some  of  the  ministers,  and  notably 
with  the  Comte  Regnaud  de  Saint-Jean  d'Angely.     This 


'2Z2  MEMOIRS  OF 

was  one  of  my  happiest  clays.  My  sister  was  among 
the  guests  ;  we  met  at  the  table  of  one  of  her  husband's 
truest  friends ;  and  I  also  renewed  my  acquaintance 
with  Agla^  and  Blanche  Buffaut,  the  Minister's  favourite 
nieces. 

Meantime  the  days  were  slipping  by,  and  we  had  little 
more  than  a  week  to  spend  in  Paris  before  the  Marshal's 
departure  for  the  campaign  which  was  about  to  open.  He 
had  received  the  command  of  the  12th  Corps  of  the  Grande 
Armee  ;  and  while  I  was  looking  forward  with  dread  to  the 
period  of  agitation  which  was  about  to  set  in,  two  pieces  of 
bad  news  came  to  add  to  the  sadness  of  the  last  days  of 
our  stay.  The  first  was  the  death  of  Enguerrand  de  Coucy. 
I  have  told  you  enough  of  this  young  man,  the  hope  of  our 
family,  to  make  you  appreciate  the  grief  which  my  sister, 
my  husband  and  I  experienced  at  this  loss.  The  second 
catastrophe  also  had  its  bitterness  in  another  way.  This 
was  the  burning  of  our  house  at  Bar-le-Duc,  which,  although 
only  just  finished,  and  furnished  with  the  greatest  elegance, 
was  reduced  to  ashes. 

M.  and  Mme.  de  Lorencez  were  with  us  in  Paris,  but 
they  had  left  their  little  daughter  at  Bar,  and  it  was  in  con- 
sequence of  the  carelessness  of  the  nurse  that  the  fire  had 
broken  out  in  a  room  on  the  second  floor  which  she  occu- 
pied. What  I  most  particularly  regretted  in  this  dis- 
aster was  the  superb  collection  of  linen  with  which  the 
Marshal  had  presented  me  on  my  arrival  at  the  house.  He 
had  had  made  in  Holland  all  that  the  country  could  pro- 
duce of  the  very  finest  linen.     1    heard  afterwards  that 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  223 

there  were  discovered  in  cinders  whole  piles  of  napkins 
which  retained  their  folds  until  blown  upon. 

When  the  Emperor  heard  of  this  disaster,  he  at  once 
sent  the  Marshal  100,000  francs  from  his  privy  purse  ;  but 
gracious  though  this  act  of  spontaneous  generosity  was,  it 
only  made  up  a  part  of  our  losses.  Our  charming  house 
was  quickly,  but  not  so  well,  rebuilt.  It  was  only  re- 
furnished in  part ;  but  what  was  this  compared  to  the 
reverses  of  fortune  which  followed  .'' 

We  returned  to  Jeand'heurs,  where  I  took  up  my  residence. 
The  Marshal  there  took  leave  of  me,  and  recommended  me 
to  go  often  to  Bar  in  order  to  survey  the  building-operations. 
Our  separation  was  somewhat  softened  for  me  by  a  consol- 
ing hope  which  I  entertained  ;  but  soon  this  vanished,  after 
a  series  of  cruel  sufferings,  and  again  I  thought  that  I  was 
destined  never  to  see  myself  again  in  my  children. 

Meanwhile  the  campaign  had  opened  brilliantly  with  the 
victory  of  Lutzen.  I  rejoiced  in  it,  as  a  Frenchwoman,  with- 
out having  any  fears  on  my  own  account,  since  the  Marshal 
had  not  arrived  in  time  to  take  part  in  the  action.  For  the 
moment  I  was  moving  to  and  fro  between  Jeand'heurs  and 
Bar,  suffering  in  body  and  mind,  in  spite  of  the  precious 
cares  lavished  upon  me  by  my  mother,  the  members  of  my 
family  who  succeeded  one  another  by  my  side,  many  old 
friends,  and  some  of  more  recent  date.  Among  the  latter 
I  may  mention  M.  and  Mme.  de  Saint- Aulaire. 

The  Comte  de  Saint-Aulaire  had  replaced  M.  le  Comte 
Leclerc  as  Prefect  of  the  Mouse.  Although  belonging  to 
the  Ancien  Regime,  he  had  frankly  attached  himself  to  the 


224  MEMOIRS  OF 

government  of  the  Emperor,  and  had  become  a  chamber- 
lain of  Marie  Louise.  His  first  appearance  in  pubh'c  Hfe 
dates  from  the  Meuse,  where  his  memory  still  lives.  He 
was  the  widower  of  a  Princess  connected  with  the  Danish 
Royal  Family,  and  the  father  of  a  little  girl  of  twelve,  who 
since  became  the  Duchesse  Decazes.  His  second  wife,  nee 
Mile,  du  Roure,  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  one  of 
the  prettiest  and  wittiest  persons  of  her  time.  This  delight- 
ful household  soon  won  my  heart,  and  in  spite  of  the 
divergence  in  some  of  our  ideas  and  in  our  political  positions, 
we  remained  friends.  They  brought  to  Jeand'heurs  the 
only  movement  which  I  allowed  to  be  summoned  there  ; 
but  to  tell  the  truth,  nothing  was  able  to  divert  my  thoughts 
for  long  from  the  fixed  idea  that  filled  them. 

The  Marshal,  who  regretfully  learnt  of  the  bad  state  of 
my  health,  agreed  with  my  doctor  that  I  should  be  sent  to 
Plombieres,  At  the  end  of  my  season  there  I  made  the 
acquaintance  of  some  people  of  a  very  different  kind.  I 
had  often  observed  the  friendly  looks  which  a  whole  family 
had  bestowed  upon  me  at  each  of  our  frequent  meetings. 
This  family  consisted  of  the  old  Chevalier  de  Boufilers, 
famous  for  his  literary  productions  and  for  his  eminently 
witty  and  graceful  conversation,  of  the  Marquise  de  Sabran, 
whom  he  had  married,  and  of  her  son  Elzear,  whom  he  had, 
as  it  were,  adopted.  The  latter  was  an  elegant  poet  whom 
you  will  remember  meeting  as  children. 

I  had  confined  myself  almost  entirely  to  my  reading  as 
a  girl,  and  only  knew  of  these  gentlemen's  celebrity  by 
hearsay.     I  had  never  met  any  authors  of  whatever  kind, 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  225 

and  I  felt  a  sort  of  elation,  mingled  with  timidity,  when  one 
morning  the  amiable  trio  sent  up  their  names  to  me. 

"  We  have  come  to  bring  you  a  visit  of  gratitude,"  said 
the  sympathetic  old  man,  as  he  entered  the  room  ;  "  we 
wanted  to  meet  you,  and  I  do  not  know  why  we  delayed 
our  visit  until  to-day." 

Touched  with  these  words,  and  with  the  physiognomy  of 
my  three  callers,  I  felt  drawn  towards  them.  The  Chevalier 
de  Boufflers  continued  : 

"  It  is  to  your  husband,  madame,  that  we  owe  the  liberty 
of  Elzear.  He  is  an  intimate  friend  of  Mme.  de  Stael's,  and 
he  redoubled  the  signs  of  his  attachment  during  her  exile. 
This  was  falsely  interpreted  into  being  of  political  import, 
and  he  was  imprisoned  at  Vincennes.  His  mother  grew 
more  distressed  the  longer  his  captivity  lasted,  until  God 
sent  me  an  inspiration,  and  without  knowing  Marshal 
Oudinot,  except  by  reputation,  and  with  no  other  claim 
upon  hJm  than  our  unhappiness,  I  succeeded  in  obtaining 
from  him  so  ardent  and  immediate  a  support,  that  Elzear 
was  restored  to  us.  I  have  not  yet  been  able  to  assure  the 
Marshal  verbally  of  our  gratitude  ;  I  am  impatiently  await- 
ing the  opportunity  to  do  so  :  but  meanwhile  I  bless  that 
which  has  brought  us  into  contact  with  his  young  wife." 

I  left  Plombieres  improved  in  health  but  quite  prepared 
to  resume  the  condition  of  alarm  which  had  been  tem- 
porarily suspended  by  the  armistice.  I  picked  up  dear 
little  Stephanie  at  Nancy,  and  soon  after  our  arrival  at 
Jeand'heurs  our  dear  Auguste  came  home  for  the  holidays  : 
he  was  then  thirteen.     General  de  Lorencez  had  settled  his 


226  MEMOIRS  OF 

wife  in  his  place  at  Marbot,  near  Bar,  before  taking-  com- 
mand of  his  division  in  the  Grande  Armec.  Soon  he 
received  a  grievous  wound,  and  one  of  the  painfullest 
moments  in  that  fatal  summer  of  1813  was  that  in  which 
I  had  to  announce  this  sorrowful  news  to  my  daughter-in- 
law. 

Meanwhile,  the  campaign  of  1813  began.  For 
the  last  time,  our  armies,  already  disorganized,  were 
able  to  fight  outside  the  old  French  soil.  In  spite 
of  the  treachery  and  desertion  of  some,  in  spite 
of  the  ill-will  of  others,  in  spite  of  the  lassitude  and 
disillusion  of  all,  amid  the  universal  disorder  of  men 
and  things,  Oudinot  was  one  of  a  small  number 
who  never  faltered,  who  uttered  neither  criticisms 
nor  recriminations,  and  whose  clear  acceptation  of 
their  duties  was  never  sullied  with  the  smallest 
doubt.  The  patriot  of  1792  was  as  he  had  been 
twenty  years  before,  devoted,  ardent,  and  un- 
flinching. 

Placed  at  the  head  of  the  12  th  Corps,  he  went  to 
take  up  his  command  at  Bamberg,  in  Bavaria  ;  and 
so  soon  as  the  victory  of  Lutzen  (2  May)  had  made 
Napoleon  master  of  the  country  between  the  Saale 
and  the  Elbe,  the  Marshal,  co-operating  in  the  move- 
ment of  concentration  of  the  French  forces,  skirted 
the  foot  of  the  Bohemian  mountains,  and  on  the  loth 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  227 

reached  the  great  rallying  place  at  Dresden.  They 
crossed  the  stream  of  the  Elbe,  behind  which  the 
coalesced  Russians  and  Prussians  were  sheltering 
themselves,  and  advanced  into  the  middle  of  Saxony, 
towards  the  upper  valley  of  the  Spree,  which  issues 
from  the  mountains  in  that  region,  and  near  which 
the  enemy  occupied  a  very  strong  position.  The 
Due  de  Reoforio  led  the  rioht. 

At  mid-day  on  the  20th  of  May,  he  received 
orders  to  cross  the  Spree  above  the  village  of 
Bautzen,  near  Sinkwitz.  Two  of  his  infantry  co- 
lumns forded  the  river,  scaled  the  opposite  bank, 
which  is  very  steep,  and  found  themselves  facing 
the  Russians  commanded  by  the  same  Wittgenstein 
who  had  been  Oudinot's  implacable  adversary,  the 
year  before,  upon  the  Dwina.  Assailed  without 
delay,  they  held  firm,  and  gave  the  rest  of  the  army 
time  to  arrive  in  its  turn  and,  in  spite  of  a  very  brisk 
fire,  to  take  up  an  important  position  on  the  Tron- 
berg.  Macdonald,  Marmont  and  Bertrand  had  also 
succeeded  in  crossing  the  Spree  at  other  points,  and 
by  evening  all  were  able  to  encamp  upon  the  con- 
quered bank. 

But  the  Russians  nevertheless  preserved  a  very 
strong  second  line,  stronger  even  than  the  first, 
among  mountains  and  valleys.     They  commenced 


2  28  MEMOIRS  OF 

the  attack  the  next  morning,  and  Mlloradowitch, 
their  most  brilliant  general,  who  was  known  as  the 
Russian  Murat,  made  special  efforts  to  recapture  the 
Tronberg,  which  Oudinot  had  taken  the  night  before. 
The  Marshal,  although  suffering  enormous  losses, 
obliged  to  give  way  at  moments,  but  always  return- 
ing, succeeded  in  maintaining  his  position  through 
sheer  force  of  energy,  until  at  last  Ney,  who  had 
turned  the  position  by  re-ascending  the  Spree,  made 
the  enemy's  position  an  impossible  one.  The  victory 
remained  with  us,  but  unfortunately  it  was  not  a 
decisive  one. 

A  fortnight  later,  the  armistice  of  the  4th  of  June 
gave  everyone  a  hope  of  definite  peace,  and  the 
honourable  proposals  of  the  Powers,  which  recognized 
our  occupation  of  our  natural  frontiers,  seemed  favour- 
able to  us  ;  but  the  pride  of  the  Master  was  neither 
willing  to  yield  nor  to  come  to  terms,  and  the 
struggle  was  resumed  under  more  and  more  unequal 
conditions. 

The  Emperor,  maintaining  himself  in  Saxony,  on 
the  Upper  Elbe,  entrusted  sixty-four  thousand  men 
to  Oudinot,  with  orders  to  march  upon  the  Prussian 
capital  and  to  give  battle  to  the  new  King  of 
Sweden,  Bernadotte,  who  had  become  the  adversary 
of  his  former  brothers-in-arms.     The  Due  de  Reggio 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT 


229 


in  this  way  had  under  his  orders  in  the  first  place 
the  1 2th  Corps,  then  the  4th,  commanded  by  General 
Bertrand,  and  lastly  the  7th,  commanded  by  General 
Reynier. 

The  reader  must  have  no  illusion  concerning  this 
imposing  figure  of  sixty-four  thousand  men.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  the  effective  strength  consisted,  as  to 
one  half,  of  foreign  troops,  Italians  moved  by  no 
feeling  of  patriotism,  and  Saxons  fighting  regretfully 
against  their  German  kinsmen.  As  to  the  French, 
these  were  no  longer  the  old  invincible  bands  whom 
the  deserts  of  Russia  and  Spain  had  swallowed  up ; 
they  were  brave  and  eager  young  soldiers,  but  inex- 
perienced and  liable  to  be  promptly  discouraged. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  country  to  be  traversed 
before  advancing  upon  Berlin  from  the  south  was  as 
unfavourable  as  possible  for  manoeuvring  :  forests, 
rivers  and  marshes  were  interwoven  in  an  inextricable 
net-work,  in  which  the  cannon-wheels  sank  deep 
into  the  clay,  while  our  men  exhausted  themselves 
through  the  long  circuitous  roads  they  had  to  follow. 
Ground  of  this  character,  instead  of  facilitating  the 
concentration  of  forces,  rendered  their  dispersion 
almost  inevitable,  and  the  march  was  therefore  an 
extremely  dangerous  one. 

Bernadotte   with    his    Swedes,  the   Russians  and 


230  MEMOIRS  OF 

the  Prussians,  the  latter  prepared  for  every  effort 
in  order  to  cover  their  capital,  was  at  the  head  of 
ninety  thousand  soldiers ;  our  men  therefore  had  to 
fight  two  against  three. 

Oudinot  had  represented  to  Napoleon  all  the 
difficulties  arising  from  the  lack  of  cohesion  in  the 
troops,  their  numerical  inferiority,  the  nature  of  the 
ground,  and  also  that  adventurous  position,  so  far 
removed  from  the  main  army  and  from  the  base  of 
operations,  which  was  Dresden.  But  he  ran  foul  of 
a  mind  which  was  absolutely  made  up  ;  the  Emperor 
refused  to  entertain  his  objections,  and  relied  greatly 
upon  the  moral  effect  which  would  result,  he  said, 
from  the  occupation  of  Berlin.  Oudinot  made 
no  reply,  and  accepted  with  much  self-denial  the 
accomplishment  of  his  difficult  task,  whose  unfor- 
tunate result  he  all  too  well  foresaw. 

On  the  2 1  St  of  August,  the  little  town  of  Trebbin 
was  captured  in  spite  of  the  resistance  of  the  Prussians, 
and  the  next  day  the  army  continued  its  uncertain 
march  through  those  thickets,  marshes  and  forests. 
They  marched  in  three  columns,  Bertrand  on  the 
right,  Reynier  in  the  centre,  and  Oudinot  on  the  left. 
On  the  23rd,  the  Marshal  gave  both  his  lieutenants 
the  order  to  converge  upon  the  village  of  Gross- 
Beeren,  and  there  to  await  his  arrival,  so  that  the  three 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  231 

united  corps  might  all  together  attack  Bernadotte, 
who  occupied  near  there  the  position  of  Ruhlsdorff. 
These  instructions  having  been  clearly  laid  down, 
Bertrand  advanced  on  the  right  by  Blankensfeld, 
Reynier  in  the  centre,  and  Oudinot  himself  on  the 
left  by  Arensdorff. 

Unfortunately,  the  desired  accord,  so  necessary 
for  this  combination,  which  was  a  very  wise  one, 
was  not  realized.  Bertrand,  harassed  by  the 
Prussian  corps  under  Tauenzien,  was  delayed  by 
a  fruitless  cannonade  which  he  kept  up  against 
the  latter,  Reynier,  who  was  the  first  to  debouch 
at  Gross-Beeren,  which  is  only  thirty  kilometres 
from  Berlin,  there  met  Bortsell's  division,  and  dis- 
lodged it ;  but  instead  of  halting,  in  accordance  with 
his  formal  orders,  he  allowed  himself  to  be  drawn 
alone  into  pursuit  of  the  enemy,  with  more  courage 
than  prudence,  and  soon  found  himself  engaged 
against  the  main  body  of  Bernadotte's  forces.  He 
at  last  saw  his  danger,  but  too  late  ;  and  although  he 
retired  in  order,  he  was  unable  completely  to  rally 
his  Saxon  division,  which  disbanded  and  lost  two 
thousand  prisoners.  Oudinot,  warned  by  the  sound 
of  the  cannon,  hastened  up  from  Arensdorff  in  time 
to  assist  the  troops  to  keep  up  a  bold  countenance, 
but  not  in  time  to  prevent  the  retreat.     Always  as 


232  MEMOIRS  OF 

prudent  in  the  conduct  of  an  operation  as  he  was 
impetuous  under  fire,  he  dechned  to  persist,  and  in 
order  wisely  to  Hmit  his  losses,  he  slowly  retrograded 
upon  the  Elbe,  and  entrenched  himself  at  Wittem- 
berg  on  the  30th  of  August.  The  attempt  upon 
Berlin  had  not  succeeded  ;  but  at  least  the  army 
corps  was  saved. 

Napoleon,  who  at  the  time  was  much  disappointed 
by  this  check,  did  justice  later  to  Oudinot  in  his 
meditations  at  St  Helena. 

"  As  to  the  affair  at  Gross-Beeren,"  he  said,  "the 
Due  de  Reggio  managed  it  sufficiently  well  not 
to  interfere  with  the  Emperor's  favourite  project. 
Had  the  operation  only  been  delayed,  it  would  have 
been  all  the  more  complete.  The  Due  de  Regglo's 
attempt  was  useful  as  a  military  reconnaissance.  It 
drew  the  enemy  from  his  lines,  dragged  Bernadotte 
towards  Wittemberg,  and  left  open  the  line  from 
Dresden  to   Berlin." 

Oudinot,  considering  the  operation  more  than 
ever  impracticable  now  that  he  had  experimented 
with  it,  asked  to  be  relieved  of  his  command-in- 
chief,  which  was  handed  to  Ney  ;  he  himself  re- 
mained at  the  head  of  the  12th  Corps,  and  nobly 
consented  to  become  the  simple  subordinate  of  his 
comrade-in  arms. 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT 


233 


Not  only  was  Ney  no  more  fortunate,  but  he  lost 
a  much  more  important  battle  than  that  of  Gross- 
Beeren.  Rashly  venturing  upon  a  flank  march  in 
order  to  reach  Baruth,  which  the  Emperor  had 
assigned  to  him,  he  divided  his  forces  into  three 
columns,  which  marched  not  in  a  parallel  or  concentric 
fashion,  but  one  behind  the  other,  and  at  a  distance 
sufficiently  removed  to  prevent  them  from  easily 
assisting  one  another.  Bertrand,  who  led  the  first, 
was  unexpectedly  attacked  in  the  defile  of  Denne- 
witz,  and  had  to  sustain  an  unequal  combat  against 
the  main  body  of  the  German  forces.  Reynier,  who 
followed,  succeeded  with  great  difficulty  in  prevent- 
ing the  Prussians  from  taking  up  a  position  on  our 
left.  Finally,  Oudinot,  who  brought  up  the  rear, 
employed  himself  in  a  very  efficacious  manner  in 
stopping  forty  thousand  Russians  and  Swedes,  who 
were  threatening  to  outflank  us  on  the  same  side. 
But  summoned  very  inconveniently  by  Ney  to  sup- 
port Bertrand  on  our  right,  he  was  compelled,  owing 
to  this  dangerous  conversion,  to  abandon  to  their 
own  resources  our  wavering  allies,  the  Saxons.  His 
departure  was  for  them  a  signal  of  rout  and  for 
the  army  one  of  defeat  (6  September).  This  time 
the  road  to  Berlin  was  definitively  lost,  and  it  was 

necessary  to    fall    back    upon    the   Elbe,   no  longer 
16 


2  34  MEMOIRS  OF 

at  Wlttembero",  but  much  further,  at  Torgau.  The 
wind  and  dust  had  raged  so  furiously  during  that 
disastrous  day  that  the  combatants  had  hardly  been 
able  to  see  one  another. 

This  check,  combined  with  others  sustained  by 
several  of  Napoleon's  lieutenants,  compelled  him 
to  concentrate  his  troops,  which  he  had  dispersed 
too  widely.  Oudinot  was  summoned  to  take  com- 
mand of  two  divisions  of  the  Young  Guard.  He 
took  part  w^ith  it  in  the  supreme  battle  in  which 
the  fate  of  Europe  was  fought  out  on  the  fields  of 
Leipzig.  On  the  1 6th  of  October,  at  mid-day,  when, 
Napoleon  decided  to  take  the  offensive  with  the 
centre,  it  was  Oudinot  who  debouched  from  Wachau 
WMth  Marshal  Victor,  and  who,  with  irresistible 
impetus,  repulsed  Prince  Eugene  of  Wurtemberg, 
drove  him  back  upon  Awenhayn,  and  destroyed 
the  Russian  Cuirassiers,  whose  impetus  broke 
against  our  lines.  On  the  evening  of  the  same 
day  he  also  contributed  to  keeping  Weissenwolff's 
Grenadiers  at  bay.  But  these  were  brilliant  rather 
than  efficacious  successes,  the  last  pale  smiles  of 
fortune.  Two  days  later,  during  the  disastrous 
Battle  of  the  Giants,  Oudinot  was  only  able  to 
stand  firm  between  Victor  and  Poniatowsky. 

After  the  rout,  it  became  incumbent  upon  him  to 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  235 

lead  the  rear-guard,  and  to  cover  the  retreat  with 
his  two  divisions.  After  crossing  the  Saale,  he 
heroically  defended,  at  Freyburg,  the  two  bridges 
over  the  Unstrutt,  prevented  General  York  from 
coming  up,  and  killed  some  hundreds  of  his  men 
in  a  stubborn  fight ;  he  himself  was  the  last  to  cross 
(22  October).  On  the  26th,  he  kept  Blucher  in 
check,  who  attacked  him  at  Eisenach. 

His  constant  endeavours  were  directed  to  bringing 
up  the  laggards,  starved  and  disarmed,  who  replied 
to  their  officers'  reproaches  : 

"We  prefer  to  let  ourselves  be  taken  prisoners; 
we  have  no  bread ;  the  Cossacks  will  give  us 
bread." 

Hard  examples  had  not  served  them  as  a  lesson. 

Bringing  up  the  march,  he  found  the  villages 
encumbered  with  sick,  wounded  and  dying  ;  every 
room,  stable  and  barn  was  crammed  with  them. 
He  was  compelled  to  sleep  at  night  outside  the 
houses,  in  spite  of  the  Cossacks  at  their  backs, 
who  howled  ominously  in  the  darkness  : 

"  To  Paris  !  To  Paris  !  " 

On  the  28th  he  was  attacked  by  typhus,  which 
was  devastating  that  poor  remnant  of  the  army,  and 
he  was  unable  to  ride  his  horse.  He  was  hoisted 
into  a  wretched  calash  and  thus  dragged,  painfully 


236  MEMOIRS  OF 

jolted,  in  the  centre  of  the  artillery-park,  with  a 
shattered  body,  but  brav^e  in  mind  and  with  an  impas- 
sive countenance.  At  Hanau,  on  the  Mein,  our 
former  allies,  the  Bavarians,  who  had  abandoned  us 
since  our  reverses,  endeavoured  with  the  Austrians  to 
bar  our  retreat.  He  assisted  in  his  calash  at  the 
battle  which  opened  the  road  for  us,  and  slept  in  his 
carriage,  in  the  middle  of  a  wood  of  fir-trees,  with 
nothing  by  way  of  food  save  a  little  flour  which  a 
drummer  brought  him,  and  which  was  diluted  in 
water.  He  did  not  know  where  he  was,  so  great 
was  the  confusion.  An  officer,  who  knocked  up 
against  him  without  seeing  him,  recognized  him  and 
told  him  that  the  Emperor's  canteen  was  close  at 
hand  ;  he  was  then  able  to  procure  some  relief. 

General  and  Mme.  de  Lorencez  had  come  to  spend  a 
few  days  with  me  at  Jeand'heurs.  It  was  on  the  7th  of 
November,  in  the  morning,  that  I  saw  M.  Jacqueminot 
return,  who  had  been  sent  out  to  meet  the  Marshal.  I  did 
not  remember  until  later  the  air  of  constraint  and  reserve 
with  which  he  replied  to  the  thousand  questions  which  I  put 
to  him  at  once.  He  had  told  me  to  expect  the  Marshal  the 
same  evening  ;  I  seized  hold  of  this  sole  fact,  and  the 
young  man  lacked  the  courage  to  declare  the  whole  truth 
to  me.     All  I  was  able  to  get  out  of  him  was  : 

"  The  Marshal  is  very  tired  and  very  much  changed." 
Then,  in  order  to  evade  my  further  inquiries,  M.  Jacque- 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  237 

minot  re-entered  his  post  carriage  and  drove  off  for  Paris, 
saying  to  me  once  more,  from  the  window  : 

"You  will  find  him  much  altered;  he  will  need  all  your 
care ;  courage  !  " 

The  day  passed  with  no  arrival  and  no  news.  I  began 
to  grow  alarmed,  and  the  general  did  not  know  how  to 
calm  me,  for  M.  Jacqueminot  had  been  more  explicit  with 
him  than  with  me. 

We  had  dined  sadly,  and  we  sat  looking  at  the  fire  in 
the  chimney  of  that  big  room  number  one,  which  I  used 
at  that  time.  We  listened  to  every  sound,  but  we  heard 
nothing  but  the  wind.  .  .  .  The  general,  taking  pity  on 
me,  said  : 

"  Come,  let  us  have  a  game  of  chess." 

I  owed  my  instruction  in  this  scientific  game  to  my  dear 
Auguste,  who  had  taught  it  me  during  the  holidays  which 
he  had  spent  with  me ;  but  we  had  hardly  set  out  our 
pieces  when  the  sound  of  a  whip  made  us  all  start  up. 
A  carriage  rolled  under  the  archway  which  at  that  time 
closed  in  the  great  court-yard.  I  flew  through  the  long 
galleries  and  down  the  stairs,  and  reached  the  carriage  side. 

The  door  was  open,  but  nothing  came  out.  A  soft,  icy 
rain  was  falling ;  the  night  was  dark,  and  the  silence  com- 
plete. Torches  were  brought,  and  I  climbed  distraught 
into  the  carriage,  where  I  vaguely  perceived  a  man 
stretched  out  motionless.  Then  two  voices  in  tones  ot 
emotion  spoke  to  me  at  once  in  an  urgent  and  mysterious 
manner.  I  understood  nothing  more,  I  was  really  out  of 
my  senses.     They  made  me  alight  from  the  carriage  ;  then 


238  MEMOIRS  OF 

six  men  together  took  the  Marshal  (for,  alas  !  it  was  he 
whom  I  had  at  last  recognized,  but  who  did  not  recognize 
me)  and  carried  him  to  his  room, 

I  mechanically  followed  the  procession,  and  when  my 
poor  husband  had  been  laid  upon  his  bed,  he  opened  his 
haggard  eyes  and  distinctly  spoke  these  words : 

"  I  want  a  bath." 

I  had  it  got  ready,  and  sent  a  carriage  for  Dr.  Moreau. 
Soon  the  invalid  was  put  into  his  bath  ;  I  held  his  hand, 
and  he  seemed  to  recognize  me  for  a  moment,  and  said, 
in  a  voice  so  weak  that  I  could  hardly  distinguish  his 
words  : 

"  I  feel  better,  but  I  am  going  to  sleep." 

And  at  the  same  moment  he  stretched  himself  out  and 
slipped  down  under  the  water.  I  called  out  with  all  my 
might  ;  he  was  taken  out,  but  ice-cold  and  motionless.  A 
great  fire  was  lit,  and  we  laid  him  on  a  mattress  placed 
right  inside  the  chimney  ;  we  rubbed  his  feet  and  hands  ; 
but  his  features  remained  livid,  distorted  and  black,  and 
putrid  stains  appeared  upon  his  skin. 

This  was  the  condition  of  affairs  when  Dr.  Moreau 
arrived.  His  brusque  frankness  never  spared  anybody ;  he 
thought  the  Marshal  lost,  and  took  no  trouble  to  conceal 
his  thought.  It  would  be  impossible  to  describe  what 
passed  within  me.  .  .  .  When  I  recovered  from  my  first 
shock,  I  understood  that  the  thing  to  do  was  not  to  despair, 
but  to  listen  to  the  doctor  and  follow  his  directions.  I 
clung  to  hope,  and  was  alone  in  not  weeping. 

"  Madame,  what  have  you  done,"  said  the  doctor,  "  and 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  239 

what  induced  you  to  put  into  a  bath  a  man  attacked  with 
typhus  ? " 

"  But  he  asked  me  to,"  I  replied. 

"  Is  that  a  reason  ?     You  can  see  he  is  dehrious." 

And  in  fact,  hfe  had  returned  to  him,  but  the  fever  too. 
Before  long,  the  Marshal  was  volubly  talking,  calling  him- 
self a  deserter,  and  saying  he  deserved  to  be  shot  for 
leaving  his  post  during  a  battle.  It  was  the  battle  of 
Hanau  which  had  left  him  these  last  impressions. 

The  dange^r  lasted  five  days,  during  which  the  ^Marshal 
sometimes  recognized  me,  without  knowing  where  he  was  ; 
more  frequently  he  imagined  himself  with  the  army,  called 
his  generals  to  him  by  name,  and  so  forth. 

At  last  the  fever  abated,  and  the  doctor  said  to  me,  as  he 
entered  my  room  on  the  sixth  day : 

"He  is  saved! " 

"  How  can  you  tell,  when  you  have  scarcely  seen  him, 
and  before  you  have  even  felt  his  pulse  .''  " 

"  Merely  by  the  way  he  holds  himself  in  bed,  madame  ; 
he  has  always  till  now  lain  on  his  back,  which  was  an  alarm- 
ing symptom  ;  this  morning,  as  you  see,  he  is  sleeping  on 
his  side.  It  is  the  beginning  of  his  convalescence,  but  it 
will  be  a  long  and  stormy  one ;  do  not  relax  your  watching." 

From  that  moment  he  gradually  grew  better.  His  fine 
constitution  had  recovered  all  its  moral  force  in  less  than  a 
fortnight  after  his  arrival.  His  physical  strength  had  not 
progressed  so  fast,  and  I  remember  that  the  first  time  that 
he  was  able  to  walk  as  far  as  my  room,  where  he  found  a 
tall  cheval-glass,  he  looked  at  himself  in  it  and  said  : 


2  40  MEMOIRS  OF 

"  There's  an  ugly  beggar  for  you  !  " 

Events  followed  fast.  The  passage  of  the  Rhine  by  the 
allied  armies  was  imminent,  and  the  Marshal  was  quivering 
with  impatience  to  go  to  the  Emperor  and  show  him  once 
more  that  he  was  fit  to  resume  his  share  in  the  campaign. 

The  enemy  crossed  the  Rhine  on  the  20th  of  December 
18 1 3.  On  receiving  this  news  we  started.  We  had  no 
sooner  left  Jeand'heurs  and  reached  the  high-road  between 
Saint-Dizier  and  Vitry  than  we  found  it  already  encum- 
bered with  our  troops.  We  were  able  to  shake  hands  with 
Victor,  who  was  marching  in  the  same  direction.  We 
breakfasted  at  Vitry,  which  was  occupied  by  the  Imperial 
Guard,  and  soon  arrived  in  Paris,  where  I  found  my  mother 
in  very  poor  health. 

Beginning  with  this  period,  one  could  remark  in  men's 
minds  that  general  tendency  towards  selfishness  which  has 
nowadays  become  the  almost  universal  rule.  The  enemy 
was  advancing  with  great  strides,  and  yet  it  must  be  ad- 
mitted that  our  people  were  more  occupied  with  mutual 
recriminations  than  with  preparations  for  the  common 
defence.  It  was  clear  that  the  army  would  have  to  act 
alone,  without  the  assistance  of  the  people,  which  was  not 
yet  aroused  ;  and  yet  what  should  be  more  calculated  to 
stimulate  it  than  the  heart-rending  reflection  that  in  fifteen 
months  the  allied  armies  had  advanced  from  the  banks  of 
the  Moscova  and  the  Dwina  to  our  own  Rhine  frontier  .-• 

Meanwhile,  the  Paris  National  Guard  had  been  restored, 
and  its  officers,  summoned  in  mass  to  the  Tuileries  before 
the  Emperor's  departure,  swore  with  enthusiasm  that  they 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  241 

would  defend  Paris  to  the  death,  together  with  the  Regent 
and  the  King  of  Rome,  who  had  been  entrusted  to  their 
protection.  And,  indeed,  the  National  Guard  did,  on  the 
31st  of  March,  make  a  fine  and  honourable  defence. 

Marie  Louise  and  her  child  were  present  at  this  scene. 
The  child,  who  was  then  three  years  old  was  splendid. 
He  had  his  father's  head,  and  it  was  his  presence  which 
electrified  the  gathering  much  more  than  did  the  impassive 
features  of  the  Regent. 

My  husband  received  the  command  of  a  portion  of  the 
Young  Guard,  and  he  prepared  closely  to  follow  the  Em- 
peror. 


CHAPTER  VII 

The  French  campaign — Respect  shown  by  the  invaders  for  Oudinot's  estates — 
Ilis  share  in  the  fighting  at  la  Rothiere— Departure  of  the  Duchesse  de 
Rcggio — Victor  Oudinot  wounded  at  Craonne — Oudinot's  desperate  pro- 
posal to  rally  the  French  corps  spread  over  Germany — Departure  of 
Marie  Louise — Capitulation  of  Paris — Queen  Hortense  at  Rambouillet — 
Incidents  on  the  Duchesse  de  Reggio's  journey — The  abdication — Oudinot 
recognizes  the  Bourbons — -He  is  made  a  minister  of  State — Mme.  de  Stael 
and  the  Comtesse  Waleska  at  Josephine's — Visit  of  the  Czar  to  Oudinot — 
Portrait  of  the  Duchesse  d'Angouleme — Oudinot  a  Peer  of  France— 
Oudinot  is  appointed  Commandant  of  the  Royal  Grenadiers  and  Chas- 
seurs— His  conciliatory  spirit — The  King  waited  upon  by  the  mayors  at 
the  Hotel-de-Ville — Portrait  of  the  Due  de  Berry — Oudinot  at  Metz — The 
Due  de  Berry  in  the  East — His  passage  through  Bar-le-Duc  and  fetes 
given  in  his  honour  at  Oudinot's — M.  Jacqueminot's  accident — The 
Reggios  return  to  Paris. 

I  HAVE  already  said  that  the  enemy  passed  the  Rhine, 
between  Basle  and  Coblentz,  on  the  20th  of  December 
1 81 3.  He  continued  his  invasion  by  occupying  Belgium 
about  the  ist  of  January  following. 

To  stand  against  the  forces  of  allied  Europe,  the  Emperor 
had,  it  was  said,  three  hundred  thousand  men  under  arms, 
but  divided  as  follows  :  about  two-thirds  were  spread  over 
our  French  garrisons  and  in  the  fortified  places  which  were 
still  in  our  occupation  abroad  ;  the  remainder  formed  three 
armies  :  that  of  Italy,  that  of  Spain,  and,  lastly,  that  which 
was  to  defend  the  territory,  which  was  the  only  one  that 
the  Emperor  could  really  oppose  to  the  enemy.  It  con- 
sisted of  about  eighty  thousand   men,  divided  into  small 


MEMOIRS  OF  MARSHAL  OUDINOT  243 

corps,  placed  under  the  orders  of  the  marshals  and  com- 
manded in  chief  by  Napoleon. 

The  Emperor's  first  operations  carried  him  towards  Saint 
Dizier.  He  left  Paris  on  the  25th  of  December,  slept  at 
Chalons,  and  the  next  day  at  Vitry,  where  the  Marshal 
was  awaiting  him.  The  Marshal  stayed  with  my  mother. 
How  happy  she  was  to  surround  him  with  her  cares ! 
Together  with  my  mother  and  my  aunt  the  canoness,  he 
spent  his  last  family  evening  during  that  disastrous  winter. 
On  the  27th  took  place  at  Saint-Dizier  the  first  skirmish 
with  the  enemy,  whom  the  Emperor  easily  dislodged. 
Your  father,  who  was  at  that  moment  in  command  of  two 
divisions  of  the  Young  Guard,  was  carried  forward,  and 
thus  came  fighting,  as  a  scout,  right  up  to  the  gates  of 
his  native  town.  When  they  saw  him  approach,  the  in- 
habitants of  Bar,  regarding  the  names  of  Oudinot  and 
Victory  as  synonymous,  thought  themselves  saved  ;  but, 
recalled  by  the  Emperor  in  the  direction  of  Brienne,  the 
Marshal  was  compelled  to  leave  at  once  and  to  put  a  stop 
to  this  illusion. 

I  should  here  tell  you,  my  children,  that  the  majority  of 
the  foreign  generals  who,  in  the  course  of  this  campaign, 
succeeded  one  another  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Jcand'heurs 
and  Bar,  set  safeguards  upon  your  father's  estates,  a  just 
and  honourable  acknowledgment  of  his  conduct  in  the 
enemy's  country. 

Meantime  the  army  commanded  by  the  Emperor  reached 
Brienne  on  the  29th,  and  captured  the  castle  and  the  town 
after  a  murderous  combat,  lit  up  till  midnight  by  the  flames 


244 


MEMOIRS  OF 


of  some  burning  houses.  They  fought  at  the  point  of  the 
bayonet ;  the  ground  was  strewn  with  dead  and  dying  ; 
your  father,  escaping  his  usual  kick,  was  not  wounded. 

The  Emperor  and  his  Heutenants  did  not  sleep  in  the 
castle,  which  had  become  a  field  of  carnage,  but  hurriedly 
partook  of  an  improvised  repast,  during  which  the  Marshal 
received  a  message  that  two  ladies,  declaring  themselves 
his  relations,  had  been  discovered  in  tears  in  the  vaults. 
"  Bring  them  here  and  let  them  share  my  supper,"  said  the 
Emperor.  Thereupon  appeared  two  of  my  cousins,  Mmes. 
de  Montangon  and  du  Metz.  The  latter,  who  had  just 
been  married,  was  as  beautiful  as  an  angel ;  their  husbands 
were  absent  from  the  Chateau  de  Crespy,  situated  at  a 
league  from  Brienne,  when  public  rumour  forewarned  them 
of  the  fighting  which  was  about  to  commence.  Thinking 
they  would  be  in  greater  safety  in  the  vast  establishment 
at  Brienne  than  in  their  little  stronghold,  they  hastened  to 
take  refuge  there,  but  had  hardly  time  to  instal  them- 
selves in  the  vaults  before  the  terrible  shock  took  place 
over  their  heads.  Not  only  my  husband,  but  also  the  Em- 
peror, was  full  of  kindness  towards  these  young  refugees, 
of  whom  one,  Mme.  du  Metz,  paid  with  her  life,  not  long 
after,  for  this  terrible  experience. 

Before  going  further,  a  word  on  the  heroic  share  taken 
by  your  father  in  the  combat  at  la  Rothiere.  It  was  on 
the  31st  of  December  ;  the  Marshal  drove  back  the  enemy, 
in  a  hand-to-hand  fight,  at  night,  under  a  terrific  fire,  cap- 
tured the  village,  and  fell  back  in  good  order  upon  Brienne, 
having  thus  marked  his  place  in  the  history  of  that  day, 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  245 

where  thirty-two  thousand  men  defended  themselves  against 
one  hundred  and  sixty-six  thousand. 

I  come  to  events  which  touch  me  more  directly.  After 
the  battle  of  la  Rothiere,  my  husband  was  almost  con- 
stantly opposed  to  the  Russians  or  the  Austrians,  in  de- 
fending now  the  banks  of  the  Seine,  and  now  those  of  the 
Aube  ;  on  the  latter  he  distinguished  himself  at  Orsonval 
on  the  27th  of  February,  and  was  to  return  on  the  21st 
of  March  to  Arcis,  on  the  same  banks,  and  add  a  new  jewel 
to  his  glorious  crown ;  but  in  the  interval  he  was  recalled 
to  the  Seine  to  hold  Schwartzenberg  in  check.  The  two 
armies  lay  facing  one  another ;  and  during  a  period  of 
inaction  that  lasted  some  days  he  sent  for  me :  it  was  on 
the  loth  of  March. 

M.  Verger,  the  commissary-at-war,  and  attached  to  the 
Marshal's  staff,  was  sent  to  come  and  fetch  me.  He 
arrived  at  nine  in  the  morning,  in  a  heavy  snowstorm. 

"I  have  come,"  he  said,  "on  behalf  of  the  Marshal,  to 
beg  you  to  come  at  once  to  see  him  at  Provins  ;  he  thinks 
he  will  be  there  long  enough  to  be  able  to  see  you  for 
a  few  hours." 

"  Well,  then,  send  for  horses,  and  let  us  go  ;  my  carriage 
is  ready,  come  !  " 

"  One  moment,"  he  resumed  ;  "  please  first  have  the 
kindness  to  get  together  a  few  provisions.  M.  le  Marechal 
is  dying  of  hunger." 

I  looked  at  him  in  amazement. 

"  It  is  literally  true,"  he  said  ;  "  remember  that  the  most 
stubborn  warfare  has  been  devouring  the  same  portion  of 


2+6  MEMOIRS  OF 

France  during  six  weeks.  It  is  pitiful  to  have  to  beg 
for  food,  even  by  paying  for  it,  of  a  population  which 
is  itself  deprived  of  it  ;  but,  in  a  word,  we  are  in  need  of 
everything." 

The  miseries  of  Russia  returned  to  my  memory :  to 
think  that  they  could  reign  within  twenty  leagues  of  Paris 
was  as  sad  as  it  was  surprising.  I  was  not  able  to  com- 
plete the  loading  of  my  carriage  until  four  o'clock  ;  the 
snow  had  ceased  to  fall  ;  it  covered  the  ground  ;  but  it 
was  not  thick  enough  to  hide  from  my  eyes  the  ravages  of 
the  battlefield  through  which  I  drove.  One  saw  nothing 
but  dismantled  houses,  trees  cut  down  ;  and  I  clearly  distin- 
guished, not  far  from  the  high-road,  a  itw  dead  bodies 
lying  where  they  fell,  and  remains  of  combats  recently 
delivered  in  the  plains. 

The  night  grew  darker :  M.  Verger,  silent  and  pre- 
occupied, constantly  threw  anxious  glances  to  left  and 
right.  He  seemed  to  have  lost  all  his  usual  gentle  and 
serene  temperament.  We  travelled  at  a  rapid  rate,  and 
ended  by  falling  into  that  species  of  torpor  produced  by 
the  movement  of  the  carriage  and  the  darkness.  We  had 
arrived  at  a  stage  (it  was  Nangis),  and  I  was  inwardly 
hastening  the  putting-to  of  the  horses,  when  a  man  came 
running  up  to  my  carriage,  and  asked,  in  a  shivering  voice: 

"  Is  that  the  Duchesse  de  Reggio  .-' " 

"  Yes,"  we  replied  together ;  and  I  recognized  M.  de 
Bourcet,  my  husband's  aide-de-camp. 

"  You  must  go  no  further  to-night,  madame  la  duchesse 
M.  le   mar^chal,  knowing   that   parties   of  Cossacks  have 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  247 

been  infesting  the  road  since  yesterday,  sent  me  to  meet 
you  with  all  speed  in  order  to  make  you  suspend  your 
journey.  I  don't  know  how  I  succeeded  in  escaping  the 
Russian  scouts  who  are  spread  all  along  the  roads." 

Imagine  my  distress  at  these  terrible  words.  It  was  less 
my  fear  of  the  Cossacks,  whom  nevertheless  I  had  been 
seeing  as  in  a  nightmare  for  weeks,  than  the  annoyance 
of  missing  this  so  strongly  desired  interview. 

"  Do  not  lose  courage,"  resumed  M.  de  Bourcet.  "  Come, 
madame  la  marechale,  and  warm  yourself  inside  the  post- 
house.     I  will  explain  everything  to  you  there." 

I  was  obliged  to  submit.  It  was  eleven  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  and  we  all  sat  round  a  half-extinguished  fire  in  the 
post-house  kitchen. 

"  All  is  not  lost,"  said  the  aide-de-camp,  on  seeing  my 
profound  discouragement.  "  M.  le  marechal  is  expecting  a 
regiment  to-morrow  morning  which  will  pass  through  here 
to-night ;  and  he  has  recommended  me  to  put  your  carriage 
into  the  ranks  of  that  brave  infantry.  You  will  thus  travel 
at  its  pace  and  in  safety  :  it  is  only  a  delay  of  a  few  hours. 
Permit  me,  therefore,  to  have  a  bed  got  ready  for  you, 
where  you  will  be  able  to  sleep  until  the  first  roll  of  the 
drum." 

I  was  cheered  by  these  words,  but  refused  the  bed,  and 
remained  by  the  fire,  which  had  been  made  up.  Soon 
the  gentlemen  began  to  snore,  while  I  sat  watching  the 
logs  and  reflecting  on  the  singularity  of  my  position 
and  the  strange  resemblance  which  it  presented  to  that 
in  which  I   had   found   myself   nearly  two    years   before, 


248  MEMOIRS  OF 

at  seven  hundred  leagues  from  Paris :  and  I  was  only 
fifteen  leagues  from  it  at  present. 

We  did  as  was  arranged,  leaving  Nangis  with  the  regi- 
ment. At  daybreak  we  had  six  leagues  to  travel:  they  took 
us  six  hours.  We  did  not  meet  the  shadow  of  a  Cossack. 
These  irregular  troops  feared  our  infantry  too  much  to 
attack  them  on  the  march,  even  when  in  small  numbers. 

On  approaching  the  town,  the  gentlemen  made  me 
leave  the  ranks  to  save  me  the  spectacle  of  the  wonder- 
ment of  the  town  at  the  sight  of  my  carriage  entering 
to  the  beat  of  the  drum.  Soon  I  was  able  to  embrace 
your  father,  whom  I  found  in  perfect  health,  in  spite  of 
his  fatigues  and  his  privations.  He  was  far  from  con- 
sidering the  Emperor's  cause  as  lost ;  he  admitted  the 
chance  of.  an  occupation  of  Paris  by  the  enemy,  but  he 
thought  that  the  Emperor,  on  crossing  the  Loire,  would 
be  able  to  continue  sufficiently  formidable  to  obtain  ac- 
ceptable conditions  and  save  his  crown.  He  hoped  that 
the  nation,  demoralized  at  first,  would  end  by  awaking 
from  a  state  of  apathy  which,  until  then,  had  left  every- 
thing to  the  army,  and  that,  weary  at  last  of  undergoing 
the  hardships  of  war,  the  awakening  of  the  country  would 
be  like  that  of  a  lion.  In  a  word,  he  still  had  faith  in 
the  future. 

My  husband  had  smiled,  not  only  upon  seeing  me, 
but  at  the  unpacking  of  my  carriage.  I  had  sacked  the 
shop  of  the  famous  Chevet,  and  soon  pies,  hams  and  fowls 
were  triumphantly  presented  to  the  staff,  who  had  been 
convoked  to  partake  of  these  alms. 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  249 

"  I  must  send  for  a  hungry  neighbour  of  mine  as  well," 
said  the  Marshal.  "  I  mean  Macdonald.  Let  us  hope 
that  Prince  Schwartzenbcrg  will  let  us  dine  quietly  to-day." 

He  did ;  and  five  days  passed  in  this  way,  during  which 
the  enemy  held  himself  as  dead,  to  the  great  astonish- 
ment of  the  army  of  the  two  marshals.  This  enabled  me 
to  prolong  my  stay  at  Provins,  and  I  made  a  friend  who 
remained  faithful  to  me  to  the  grave,  in  that  excellent 
Marshal  Macdonald,  who  came  over  from  his  quarters 
almost  every  day  to  share  our  dinner. 

You  can  well  imagine  that  my  rich  provisions  were  not 
able  to  feed  for  long  the  many  starvelings  whose  appetites 
had  been  whetted  by  the  first  meal  or  two;  and  soon  I 
was  able  to  see  for  myself  the  scarcity  into  which  the 
Marshal  was  again  about  to  fall,  to  my  great  distress. 
He  enjoined  upon  me  to  follow  at  a  distance  the  Govern- 
ment of  the  Regent,  and  to  cross  the  Loire  if  that  was 
the  course  taken,  in  which  case  it  was  arranged  that  I 
should  go  to  my  sister  at  Poitiers. 

My  fifth  day  at  Provins  had  hardly  commenced  when 

the    Marshal,   without    waiting   for   the   enemy  to   attack, 

decided  upon   my  departure,  without   listening  to  any  of 

my  supplications   to  be   allowed   to  stay.      Prompted   by 

a  sort  of  foresight,  he  hurried  my  preparations,  put  M.  de 

Bourcet   on    the   box   of  my  carriage,  sent  a  company  of 

cavalry  to  escort  me  for  the  first  few  leagues,  and  himself 

escorted  me  for  half-an-hour,  riding  by  the  carriage  side. 

Then,  without  telling   me,  and  without  taking  his  leave, 

he  turned  back,  galloped  off,  and  arrived  just  in  time  to 
17 


2 so  MEMOIRS  OF 

hear  that  the  enemy  seemed  to  be  preparing  for  a  move- 
ment. During  this  time  I  was  being  rapidly  carried 
towards  Paris. 

I  arrived  at  the  Rue  de  Bourgogne  before  it  was  quite 
dark,  and  I  was  able  to  distinguish  in  the  court-yard  a 
calash  all  covered  with  mud  which  had  evidently,  like 
myself,  made  a  hurried  journey. 

"  Who  is  it  ?  "  I  asked  of  the  concierge,  excitedly. 

He  hesitated  before  replying. 

"  Well  ?  " 

"  M.  le  comte  has  come  back  wounded." 

M.  le  comte  was  Victor.  I  ran  upstairs  and  reached  the 
room  in  which  he  had  been  placed.  He  was  quite  calm, 
and  began  by  reassuring  me  as  to  what  had  befallen  him  ; 
a  ball,  he  said,  had  entered  his  thigh  and  penetrated  rather 
deeply,  but  without  breaking  anything.  He  had  received 
this  wound  at  the  fierce  affair  at  Craonne,  where  the 
Imperial  Guard  had  charged  with  its  ordinar}'  impetuosity. 
So  soon  as  I  was  assured  that  the  wound  was  not  danger- 
ous, 1  surprised  in  myself  a  feeling  of  satisfaction,  of 
which  I  gave  no  sign,  at  finding  that  it  put  one  of  us 
in  shelter  from  the  terrible  hazards  of  the  end  of  this 
campaign. 

I  was  still  with  Victor,  when  another  member  of  our 
family  arrived  in  a  mutilated  condition.  This  was  General 
Pajol,  who  had  had  a  horse  killed  under  him  at  the  bridge 
of  Montereau.  His  fall  had  opened  his  serious  Leipzig 
wounds  and  had  obliged  him  to  return  and  get  nursed  in 
Paris,      Although   badly   injured,   he   was    able   to    move 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT 


251 


about,  since  he  had  only  been  hurt  in  his  hand  and  arm. 
The  General  was  accompanied  by  his  wife. 

I  received  no  news  of  the  Marshal.  I  learnt  vaguely 
that  he  had  left  the  Seine  in  order  to  join  the  Emperor  on 
the  Aube,  where,  on  the  21st  of  March,  had  taken  place 
the  hard-fought  combat  of  Arcis,  of  which  I  had  no  details. 

After  Arcis,  the  Emperor,  either  because  he  had  been 
for  a  moment  deceived  as  to  the  march  of  a  corps  of  the 
enemy  (Wintzingerode's),  or  because  he  had  an  undefined 
idea  of  cutting  off  the  allies  from  the  line  of  the  Rhine,  had 
returned  to  Saint-Dizier,  where  he  arrived  on  the  28th  ;  but 
hearing  that  the  bulk  of  the  army  was  massing  upon  Pari.s, 
he  suddenly  changed  his  plans  and  hastened  to  its  assist- 
ance. It  was  therefore  at  Saint-Dizier  that,  resuming  the 
thought  of  intercepting  the  line  of  the  Rhine  from  the 
enemy,  the  Marshal  submitted  the  following  proposal  to 
the  Emperor :  he  asked  to  be  charged  with  his  unaided 
army  corps,  since  he  was  not  able  to  dispose  of  a  greater 
force,  to  march  upon  the  Rhine,  taking  from  each  of  the 
fortified  places  he  would  pass  on  the  way  as  many  men 
and  ammunitions  as  they  could  spare,  without  too  greatly 
imperilling  their  safety,  and  to  follow  the  same  plan  with 
regard  to  all  the  places  which  we  still  held  beyond  the 
Rhine  in  the  direction  of  Vienna.  This  scheme,  which 
undoubtedly  presented  immense  difficulties  and  a  great 
uncertainty  as  to  the  result,  had  at  least  the  advantage  of 
temporarily  disconcerting  the  enemy  and  perhaps  prevent- 
ing his  march  upon  Paris,  and  might  besides,  by  working 
upon  the  spirit  of  the  population,  induce  it  to  rise  in  mass 


252 


MEMOIRS  OF 


against  the  invasion.  The  Emperor  was  for  a  moment 
struck  with  the  idea  ;  but,  in  addition  to  its  being  some- 
what late  in  the  day,  he  did  not  think  that  he  would  be 
able  to  dispense  with  the  Marshal's  army  corps.  He  asked 
him  whether  he  would  be  willing  to  make  the  attempt  with 
cavalry  alone. 

"No,  Sire,"  replied  the  Marshal;  ''it  would  then  be  a 
war  of  partisans.     I  could  not  accept  that  mission." 

Meantime  the  hours  sped  by.  They  set  out  for  Troyes 
by  forced  marches,  and  arrived  on  the  29th.  Vain  efforts  ! 
You  know  what  happened  on  the  30th  !  France  had  long 
since  been  exhausted,  not  so  much  of  money,  for  the 
countries  conquered  by  us  still  supplied  this,  but  of  men. 
This  last  scarcity,  which  it  was  endeavoured  to  remedy  by 
every  kind  of  conscription,  threw  whole  families  into  despair 
and  want.  They  were  really  bled  to  the  uttermost.  The 
poor  man  had  to  give  his  last  son  and  in  him  lost  his 
support ;  and  in  the  fields  it  was  often  the  women  and 
girls  who  led  the  plough.  Husbandry  suffered  as  much 
as  individuals.  And  the  same  disasters  occurred  in  the 
towns.  Numbers  of  families  condemned  themselves  per- 
petually to  cripple  their  fortunes  in  order  to  save  the  young 
man  whom  other  measures  ended  by  reaching.  Great 
names,  great  fortunes,  in  short,  all  that  might  have  hoped 
for  independence  was  compelled  to  assist  at  least  in  the 
recruiting  of  guards  of  honour. 

In  any  case,  the  young  man  under  the  flag,  whatever  the 
feeling  of  repulsion  with  which  his  antecedents  might 
inspire  him  for  the  Government,  saw  nothing  but  honour 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT 


^53 


before  him,  and  served  with  courage  and  loyalty ;  but  it 
was  in  the  families  that  resentment  was  felt.  The  crape 
with  which  the  Russian  and  Leipzig  campaigns  had  covered 
France  had  not  yet  disappeared  ;  bitter  tears  were  still 
being  shed.  People  realized  that,  by  yielding  a  certain 
number  of  his  conquests  in  preceding  years,  the  Emperor 
might  have  saved  France  this  invasion  ;  that,  a  little  later, 
the  line  of  the  Rhine  would  at  least  have  been  left  to  him; 
that,  even  at  the  very  time  we  had  reached,  if  he  would  only 
give  the  Due  de  Vicence  (his  representative  at  the  Congress 
of  Chatillon)  the  latitude  which  that  zealous  functionary 
demanded,  he  would  still  obtain  supportable  conditions  of 
peace.  Peace !  the  cry  was  in  every  heart :  for  of  glory, 
the  everyday  food  of  the  country,  France  had  had  a 
sufficient  share. 

In  Paris  everything  was  assuming  a  more  and  more 
sombre  aspect.  Everyone  was  making  final  arrange- 
ments to  ensure  the  safety  of  his  possessions.  The  majority 
of  those  who  held  with  the  Government,  either  from  attach- 
ment or  from  the  sense  of  duty,  had  decided,  like  myself,  to 
follow  the  movements  of  the  Regent.  The  Court  of  the 
Tuileries  was  spied  upon  from  morning  to  night  in  order  to 
obtain  wind  of  the  first  preparations  for  departure.  As  for 
me,  I  was  certain  of  being  one  of  the  first  to  be  informed  by 
the  Sainte-Aulaire  family,  with  whom  I  was  to  join  forces, 
whatever  happened,  and  I  kept  myself  in  readiness,  although 
at  the  same  time  deploring  the  necessity  in  which  I  found 
myself  of  abandoning  my  two  children  at  school  and  my 
husband's  eldest  son,  who  was  still  too  ill  to  be  moved. 


2  5+  MEMOIRS  OF 

At  last,  on  the  29th  of  March,  I  was  informed  that  the 
carriages  and  luggage-waggons  of  the  Empress  were  stand- 
ing ready  in  the  court-yard  of  the  Tuileries,  and  that  Blois 
was  the  probable  destination  of  Marie  Louise,  the  King  of 
Rome  and  the  Council  of  Regency.  I  at  once  made  my 
arrangements  with  the  Sainte-Aulaire  family  to  set  out 
the  same  evening. 

While  on  this  subject,  I  cannot  keep  back  the  reflection 
which  I  made  later,  as  did  many  others,  that  the  face  of 
the  whole  world  might  have  been  changed  if  the  Regent, 
using  the  power  with  which  she  was  invested,  and  resisting 
the  distracted  heads  which  advised  her,  had  decided  to 
await  events  in  Paris.  Had  they  found  at  the  seat  of 
Government  the  daughter  of  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  who 
among  the  Allied  Sovereigns  would  have  wished  to  expel 
her,  when  they  admitted  that  their  sole  resolve  was  to 
dethrone  the  Emperor,  without  seeming  to  think  of  a 
successor?  They  would  probably  have  maintained  the 
Regent  ;  but  she  threw  up  the  game  and  thus  lost  it 
without  hope  of  recovery. 

I  heard  related  with  many  details  the  resistance,  which 
was  thought  instinctive,  of  the  King  of  Rome,  who  uttered 
loud  cries  and  clung  to  all  the  curtains  of  the  Tuileries,  so 
as  not  to  go  on  what  they  represented  to  him  as  a  walk.  It 
was  a  natural  whim  on  the  part  of  a  child  of  three,  but  it 
was  turned  into  a  presentiment. 

It  was  known  that  the  corps  of  Marshals  the  Due  de 
Trevise  and  the  Due  de  Ragune  alone  were  defending 
the  line  of  Meaux  from  the  heights  of  Romainville,  while 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  255 

King  Joseph  acted  as  generalissimo  in  Paris.  The 
Versailles  road  was  free,  and  the  Sainte-Aulaire  family 
ready  ;  we  let  the  Empress,  her  suite  and  her  escort  set 
out,  and  at  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  v/e  our- 
selves departed  for  Versailles,  which  was  to  be  our  first 
halt. 

It  was  almost  dark  when  we  arrived.  We  took  pos- 
session of  two  adjacent  rooms  in  an  already  crowded  inn  in 
the  Rue  de  I'Orangerie.  During  the  whole  night,  an  in- 
cessant and  confused  noise  told  us  of  the  passage  of  a  large 
number  of  men,  horses  and  carriages,  and  soon  the  day- 
light revealed  the  most  astonishing  sight  that  human  eyes 
perhaps  have  ever  looked  upon.  We  stood  motionless  at 
our  windows ;  what  we  saw  passing,  my  children,  was  .  .  . 
the  Empire !  The  Empire,  which  was  departing,  with  all 
its  pomp  and  splendour ;  the  ministers,  all  in  their  coaches 
and  six,  taking  with  them  portfolio,  wife,  children,  jewels, 
livery  ;  the  entire  Council  of  State  ;  the  archives ;  the 
Crown  diamonds  ;  the  administrations.  And  instalments 
of  power  and  magnificence  were  mingled  on  the  road  with 
humble  households  who  had  heaped  up  on  a  barrow  all 
they  had  been  able  to  carry  away  from  the  houses  which 
they  were  abandoning,  as  they  thought,  to  the  pillage  which 
was  about  to  burst  forth  over  the  country.  The  cannon  had 
begun  to  thunder  at  daybreak. 

M.  de  Saint-Aulaire  incessantly  went  to  and  fro.  Some- 
times he  would  stop  some  of  those  emblazoned  carriages, 
containing  people  whom  we  knew  ;  but  they  for  the  most 
part,  gloomy  and  terrified,  knew  no  more  than  we  did. 


256  MEMOIRS  OF 

They  were  fighting,  they  told  us,  at  the  gates  of  Paris. 
Alas  !  could  we  not  hear  it ! 

At  about  half-past  four  appeared  the  famous  proclamation 
of  King  Joseph.  M.  de  Sainte-Aulaire  hastened  to  bring  it 
to  us  ;  it  was  worded  to  encourage  the  defence,  and  ended 
with  these  words  :  "  Parisians,  I  remain  in  your  midst !  " 
We  had  hardly  finished  reading  this  production  when,  amid 
the  increasing  tumult,  we  saw  a  numerous  staff  make  way 
for  itself  with  difficulty.  It  came  slowly  forward,  and  when 
within  our  range  we  distinguished  .  .  .  the  Emperor !  At 
least  so  I  thought.  ...  I  gave  a  loud  cry  of  "  Long  live 
the  Emperor  ! "  stretching  out  my  arms,  thinking  I  saw 
your  father  in  each  of  the  general  officers  who  followed 
him.  I  must  have  lost  my  head  to  believe  even  for  a 
moment  that  at  that  supreme  moment  I  saw  the  Emperor 
turn  his  back  on  Paris.  My  travelling-companions,  who 
had  for  a  moment  shared  my  illusion,  recovered  their  pre- 
sence of  mind  sooner  than  I  did,  and  promptly  convinced 
me  of  my  error :  it  was  not  the  Emperor,  but  his  brother 
Joseph,  who  was  very  like  him,  and  who  was  abandoning 
the  city  almost  in  the  same  hour  in  which  he  had  pro- 
claimed his  faithful  presence.  He  left  after  saying  to  the 
inhabitants,  "  Fight !  " 

It  was  eight  o'clock  when  we  left  the  inn  where  he  had 
spent  so  horrible  a  day  and  joined  the  interminable 
column  of  which  I  have  spoken.  The  disorder  on  the 
road,  in  the  complete  darkness,  was  terrible.  We  reached 
Rambouillet  at  about  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  ;  it  was 
necessary   to    give    our    horses    a  rest    and  some  food    if 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  257 

possible ;  but  the  crowd  was  so  great  that  we  could  not 
recognise  one  another.  However,  M.  de  Sainte-Aulaire  suc- 
ceeded in  elbowing  his  way  to  the  castle,  in  order  to  enquire 
which  of  the  retreating  dignitaries  had  stopped  there. 
He  soon  came  back  and  told  us  that  Queen  Hortense  had 
taken  refuge  there  since  the  day  before  and  was  already 
preparing  to  leave  ;  and  he  offered  to  take  us  to  her  at 
once.  For  want  of  another  resting-place  we  would  have 
been  obliged  to  stay  in  our  carriages,  amid  a  com- 
pact crowd  of  people  and  horses.  It  was  not  without 
great  difficulty  that  our  guide  made  way  for  us  ;  but  at 
last  we  reached  the  gate  of  the  castle,  and,  soon  after,  the 
Princess's  apartments. 

I  knew  her  but  slightly,  but  under  such  circumstances  one 
was  above  ceremony.  We  first  entered  the  room  of  Mile. 
Cochelet,  her  reader  and  confidant ;  she  got  out  of  bed 
and  received  us  half  dressed.  We  had  hardly  entered 
when  she  began  to  utter  loud  screams,  provoked  not  only 
by  the  general  situation,  but  also  by  certain  particular  acts, 
and  notably  the  retreat  of  King  Joseph. 

"Would  you  believe,"  she  said,  "he  quietly  came  and 
supped  here  !     He  wanted  supper,  after  a  day  like  that !  " 

We  next  went  to  the  Queen.  She  was  less  expansive 
than  Mile.  Cochelet,  but  nevertheless  allowed  us  to  sus- 
pect all  the  fears,  bitterness,  and  reproaches  that  filled 
her  heart.  Her  two  sons,  aged  four  and  six  respectively, 
were  already  awake  and  dressed,  and  played  about  her. 
It  was  in  order  to  remove  them  from  the  events  in  Paris 
that    she    had    left    the    Empress   Josephine,  her    mother, 


258  MEMOIRS  OF 

about  whom  she  was  exceedingly  anxious,  especially  since 
she  had  learnt  that,  without  giving  her  warning,  they  had 
blown  up  the  bridge  of  Neuilly,  in  the  interest  of  the 
defence  of  Paris.  "  And  so  she  is  alone  at  Malmaison  !  " 
cried  the  Queen,  in  despair. 

During  this  interview,  which  took  place  in  a  large 
room  badly  lighted  by  the  dawn,  which  was  only  just 
breaking,  and  the  candles,  which  were  going  out,  we  saw 
the  maids,  in  tears,  hastening  the  preparations  for  flight  of 
this  Princess,  whom  I  was  never  to  see  again. 

We  regained  the  town,  not  without  difficulty.  The  day 
which  had  arisen  brought  to  view  the  most  tumultuous 
scene.  Soon  everyone  resumed  his  journey.  There  was 
no  adieu  said  ;  no  au  revoir :  it  was.,  alas,  a  rout !  Each 
man  for  himself. 

We  arrived  during  the  day  at  Liouville,  an  old  chateau 
belonging  to  my  travelling  companions.  That  part  of  the 
Beauce  in  which  it  stood  was  not  yet  disturbed  by  any 
news  of  the  events  which  I  have  described.  We  were 
received  by  the  Comtesse  Victor  de  Juigne,  sister  to 
Mme.  de  Sainte-Aulaire,  who,  although  holding  no 
political  opinions,  received  us  with  exquisite,  but  cold, 
politeness.  The  fall  of  the  Empire,  it  must  be  admitted, 
was  for  the  time  the  object  of  every  wish;  but  there  was 
no  necessity  for  explanations,  and  each  kept  his  reserve. 
After  a  fish  dinner  (it  was  Holy  Week),  we  retired  to  our 
rooms,  worn  out  beneath  the  weight  of  the  moral  and 
physical  fatigues  we  had  undergone  during  the  twenty- 
four  hours  that  had  just  elapsed. 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  259 

I  was  young:  I  slept  long  and  soundly.  No  political 
news  came  to  break  the  weariness  of  the  next  day.  A 
iew  fugitives,  friends  or  relations  of  the  Sainte-Aulaire 
family,  came  to  ask  for  shelter  ;  but  they  knew  no  more 
than  we  did.  It  was  impossible  to  prolong  our  stay  at 
Liouville ;  we  had  given  our  horses  a  day's  rest,  and  on 
the  1st  of  April  our  caravan  took  a  cross  road  in  order  to 
reach  the  high  road  for  Chartres. 

We  arrived  in  that  town  about  the  middle  of  the  day, 
and  were  struck  with  astonishment  at  seeing  all  the  doors 
and  windows  closed  and  a  complete  absence  of  people  in 
the  streets.  Only  a  carters'  tavern  was  open  ;  our  carriages 
rolled  into  the  yard,  and  soon  we  were  all  gathered  in  a 
large  room  which  I  shall  never  forget.  M.  de  Saint- 
Aulaire  set  out  in  search  of  information.  They  told  us  in 
the  house  that  there  was  fighting  going  on  at  some  little 
distance,  and  that  soon  they  would  be  able  to  know  how 
the  troops  were  disposed,  because  there  were  people 
looking  out  from  the  cathedral  belfry,  which  is  a  very  tall 
one,  as  every  one  knows.  Our  anxiety  was  great,  but  did 
not  last  long  :  it  was  a  false  alarm  we  heard,  caused  by  the 
explosion  of  a  convoy  of  powder,  which  had  burst  a  few 
leagues  off.  The  general  terror  had  made  a  pitched  battle 
of  it. 

My  one  desire  was  to  place  myself  as  soon  as  possible 
in  the  situation  laid  down  for  me  by  the  Marshal,  that  is 
to  put  the  Loire  behind  me.  I  saw  the  Sainte-Aulairc 
family  hesitating  in  its  march,  and  for  a  thousand  reasons 
I  was  distressed  at  parting  from   them  ;     but   the   same 


26o  MEMOIRS  OF 

evening  I  took  my  leave  of  them,  and  continued  my 
journey  to  Tours.  I  travelled  in  fear  and  trembling, 
however ;  for  I  had  no  male  attendant  with  me  except 
my  coachman,  who  had  only  been  three  months  in  my 
service. 

About  two  o'clock,  the  coachman  told  me  that  the  horses 
could  go  no  further.  We  were  in  a  village  ;  I  told  him 
to  knock  at  the  first  sign  we  came  to.  I  was  given  a  room 
of  some  sort,  and  I  clambered  on  to  a  bed  which  almost 
touched  the  ceiling.  I  was  ready  to  set  out  again  at 
daybreak  ;  but  when  I  was  asked  to  pay  seventy-two 
francs  for  this  short  stay,  I  objected,  and  looking  the  old 
hag  who  wanted  to  fleece  me  in  the  face,  I  asked  her  for 
her  bill  in  detail. 

"  There's  no  need  for  a  bill  ;  you  can  pay  three  louis,  as 
the  Princesse  de  Neuchatel  has  just  done." 

"  Possibly ;  but  I  am  curious  to  know  the  price  of 
things  in  your  part  of  the  country,  and  I  want  a  bill. 
When  I  have  got  it,  I  will  go  and  pay  a  little  visit  to 
your  magistrate." 

She  thereupon  brought  me  her  bill,  which  amounted  to 
twenty-seven  francs  ;  and  I  thought  myself  lucky  to 
escape  so  cheaply,  while  recognizing  that  I  was  still  being 
robbed. 

To  make  up  for  this,  I  must  tell  you  of  my  good  Mme. 
Raymond,  the  hostess  of  the  Trois  Monarques  at  Chateau- 
dun.  I  alighted  at  her  house  about  mid-day,  and  as  he 
unharnessed  his  horses,  the  coachman  declared  that  they 
could  not  take  another  step  that  day.     It  was  most  dis- 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  261 

couraging  ;  yet  what  should  I  have  gained  by  kilHng 
them,  when  every  other  means  of  transport  might  fail  me 
entirely  ?  It  was  evident  that  I  was  the  last  fugitive  who 
dared  venture  upon  ground  which  they  expected  to  see 
invaded  at  any  moment  by  the  allies.  All  traffic  seemed 
to  have  ceased  since  the  preceding  day. 

"  Oh  dear,"  said  I  to  the  kind  hostess,  who,  with  her 
arms  akimbo,  was  looking  at  me  sadly,  while  giving  me 
these  details  ;  "  and  suppose  the  enemy  arrives  while  I  am 
with  you  ?  " 

"  Well  then,  I  will  hide  you  ;  trust  to  me,  little  lady, 
and  begin  by  handing  me  all  those  red  boxes,  which  no 
one  must  be  allowed  to  see." 

She  installed  me  in  her  best  room,  went  and  locked  up 
my  jewel-caskets,  and  returned  to  try  and  console  me. 

"  I  have  seen  a  deal  of  sorrow  since  the  last  three 
days,"  she  said  ;  "  whatever  has  delayed  you  so  on  this 
road  } " 

I  then  understood  what  a  mistake  I  had  made  in  spend- 
ing twenty-four  hours  at  Liouville  ;  but  if  you  think  of 
my  habits  of  life,  always  surrounded  and  watched  over, 
you  will  perhaps  understand  how,  in  my  ignorance  of 
events,  I  hesitated  to  leave  my  Sainte-Aulaire  friends  and 
surrender  myself  alone,  as  I  then  was,  to  all  the  hazards 
of  that  flight. 

The  next  morning  I  heard  a  great  tumult  beneath  my 
windows ;  something  had  evidently  happened,  and  soon  I 
saw  an  officer  of  Dragoons  entering  my  room,  visibly 
excited.     I   did   not  know  him.     His  detachment,  which 


262  MEMOIRS  OF 

had  just  entered  Chiteaudun,  was  galloping  through  the 
streets. 

"  I  learnt  a  moment  ago,"  said  he,  "  that  a  section  of 
the  enemy  was  about  to  fall  upon  the  town,  and  that 
the  wife  of  Marshal  Oudinot  was  alone  and  undefended  in 
this  inn.     I  have  come  to  place  myself  at  her  disposal." 

The  frightful  terror  which  had  overpowered  me  was  not 
so  great  as  to  paralyze  my  sense  of  gratitude  ;  but  the 
officer  gave  me  no  time  to  express  it. 

"  If  you  will  believe  me,  madame,"  he  said,  "  you  will 
leave  without  delay  ;  the  road  is  still  free  in  front  of  you, 
that  is  clear,  and  we  shall  be  able  to  keep  back  the  enemy 
here  long  enough  to  enable  you  to  reach  a  safer  retreat." 

With  this  man's  obligingness  and  devotion  was  mingled 
a  sort  of  prodigious  exaltation,  which  ended  by  bursting 
out  in  these  words,  pronounced  with  fury  : 

"Ah,  madame  la  marechale,  it's  all  up  with  the  Emperor 
and  the  army,  and  we  are  going  to  be  governed  by  a  king 
in  petticoats." 

I  was  stupefied,  not  knowing  that  an  absurd  rumour  was 
about  which  thus  clad  Louis  XVIII.  in  its  imagination. 

"  But  start,  start !  "  cried  the  officer. 

Half  distraught,  I  stepped  into  my  carriage,  thanking 
him  as  best  I  could.  I  knew  his  name,  and  I  have  forgotten 
it.     I  am  ashamed  to  have  to  make  this  avowal ! 

I  reached  Vendome  in  the  evening,  and  I  was  about  to 
go  to  bed  in  an  inn  which  seemed  pretty  quiet,  when  the 
Comte  de  Sainte-Aulaire  forced  my  door  and  told  me  that 
the  road  which  he  had  just  followed  behind  me  was  still 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  263 

clear,  and  that  my  good  Dragoons  had  not  been  called 
upon  to  draw  their  swords.  With  an  emotion  which  I  fully 
shared,  the  traveller  told  me  of  the  entry  into  Paris  of  the 
allied  armies.  Details  were  still  wanting,  but  the  name 
of  the  Bourbons  had  already  been  pronounced,  and  the 
Emperor  was  known  to  be  at  Fontainebleau  with  his  Guard. 
The  alternative  which  resulted  from  these  events  was  cal- 
culated to  confuse  a  more  experienced  judgment  than  mine. 
The  Emperor  conquered  and  dethroned  was  enough  to 
revolt  my  belief ;  the  Emperor  in  submission  seemed  still 
more  impossible;  and,  from  the  chaos  of  my  thoughts,  what 
issued  as  most  clear  and  most  likely  was  still  his  retreat 
behind  the  Loire  and  consequently  a  defence  with  which  I 
naturally  associated  the  Marshal.  Accordingly  I  must 
continue  my  journey  and  cross  to  the  other  bank.  My 
sister,  with  her  husband's  family,  was  expecting  me  at 
Poitiers  ;  but  I  had  resolved  first  of  all  to  stop  at  Tours, 
there  to  await  details.  I  arrived  there  the  next  day,  and 
alighted  at  the  Hotel  du  Faisan,  which  stands  in  the  middle 
of  the  Grande  Rue. 

It  was  very  late,  and  I  went  to  bed  full  of  emotions,  but 
I  thought,  with  a  sort  of  consolation,  that  at  least  for  the 
moment  there  was  to  be  no  fighting.  Yet  this  was  only  a 
conjecture,  and  my  first  course  the  next  morning  was  to 
write  to  the  Prefect,  who  was  at  that  time  the  Comte  dc 
Kergorlay,  to  ask  him  in  confidence,  although  I  did  not 
know  him,  to  conmiunicate  to  me  what  I  wanted  to  know. 
I  implored  him  to  take  compassion  on  my  anxiety  concern- 
ing the  Marshal,  and  I  received  no  reply. 


264  MEMOIRS  OF 

The  hotel  at  which  I  was  staying  presented  the  noise  and 
movement  of  a  beehive.  I  was  sorrowfully  listening  to 
this  humming  when  my  maid  came  to  tell  me  that  a 
chasseur,  covered  with  gold  lace,  had  come  to  beg  me  to 
grant  a  short  interview  to  his  master.  Who  was  this 
master  t  No  one  less  than  Fouche,  whom  I  had  never 
seen  !  Without  having  had  time  to  prepare  myself  for  this 
immediate  meeting,  I  beheld  him  entering  my  room. 
What  an  astonishing  face !  Hair,  eyebrows,  complexion, 
eyes,  all  seemed  to  me  to  be  of  the  same  shade.  So  soon 
as  he  had  sat  down,  he  asked  for  news  of  my  husband. 

"  Alas  !  "  I  replied,  "  I  expect  to  hear  news  of  him  from 
everyone  I  meet,  including  yourself,  monsieur  le  due." 

"What,  madame !  you  have  just  arrived  and  you  know 
no  more  than  all  of  us,  who  have  been  refuged  here  during 
the  last  two  or  three  days." 

I  then  explained  to  him  the  cause  of  my  delay.  He 
seemed  overcome  with  his  disappointment  at  finding  that 
this  newest  arrival  could  tell  him  nothing.  His  strange 
glance  wandered  restlessly  round  my  room.  At  last  he 
spoke  again,  and  asked  me,  with  hesitation,  what  the 
Marshal  would  do  under  the  circumstances  of  the 
moment. 

"Will  he  follow  the  Emperor's  fortunes,  do  you  think, 
madame  1  or,  if  the  Empire  goes  down,  will  he  attach 
himself  to  a  new  order  of  things  .'' " 

The  question  was  hard,  but  the  answer  was  very  simple. 

"  Although  I  do  not  know  what  has  happened,"  I  replied, 
"and  am  unable  to  see  into  the  future,  I  know  that  the 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  265 

Marshal,  as  always,  will  let  himself  be  guided  solely  by 
honour,  duty,  and  the  love  of  his  country ;  that  is  all  I  can 
tell  you." 

Thereupon  he  made  me  a  very  deep  bow  and  withdrew. 
I  have  never  seen  him  since. 

Meantime,  I  felt  the  necessity  of  communicating  with  the 
refugees  who  were  in  the  same  position  as  myself  at  Tours, 
and  I  called  first  upon  the  Marechale  Masscna,  towards 
whom  my  husband  had  always  told  me  to  be  very  obliging 
as  being  so  much  my  senior.  She  received  me  very  affably, 
and  groaned  a  great  deal  for  me  and  especially  for  herseh 
at  the  crisis  of  the  moment.     Then  suddenly  she  said  : 

"  Do  you  know,  we  may  have  to  wander  for  whole  months 
after  the  Emperor  and  the  army  before  the  crisis  is  decided  .-' 
I  foresaw  this,  and  have  taken  my  precautions.  How  much 
money  have  you  1  I  have  sixty  thousand  francs  in  gold 
in  the  boot  of  my  carriage." 

I  evaded  the  question,  not  thinking  myself  obliged  to 
own  that  I  only  possessed  just  one  year's  interest  on  sixty 
thousand  francs. 

A  long  week  was  passed  in  this  way,  when  suddenly  the 
Prefect  sent  out  a  cloud  of  newspapers,  advantages  which 
we  had  not  known  for  a  long  time.  They  were  printed 
under  the  Provisional  Government  and  gave  our  eager 
minds  the  details  of  the  events  which  had  taken  place 
since  the  30th  of  March.  When  you  read  this  period  or 
our  history,  my  children,  after  so  many  years'  interval,  you 
are   astonished    at   the    rapidity   and    importance   of    the 

catastrophes  which  it  contains.     You  can  imagine  therefore 

18 


266  MEMOIRS  OF 

of  the  impression  produced  by  these  revelations  upon  con- 
temporaries and  especially  upon  those  whose  dearest  and 
directest  interests  were  at  stake  ! 

Your  father's  name  was  not  yet  mentioned  ;  but  it  seemed 
certain  to  me  that  his  rallying  to  the  new  government 
would  be  the  result  of  the  freedom  which  was  restored  to 
him  by  the  abdication  of  the  Emperor. 

Amid  this  maze  of  surprises,  regrets,  and  hopes  of  the 
realization  of  a  peace  so  eagerly  longed  for,  I  remained 
confused  and  at  a  loss.  My  opinions  hesitated  between 
the  traditional  cult  with  which  I  had  been  inculcated  as  a 
child  for  the  family  of  the  Bourbons,  and  my  enthusiasm 
as  a  young  girl  and  young  married  woman  for  the 
Empire.  Moreover,  all  my  personal  inclinations  must  give 
way  before  those  of  my  husband  ;  and  my  brain  was  on 
fire  in  presence  of  so  many  hesitations  and  uncertainties. 
The  day  was  spent  in  this  condition  of  moral  fever.  My 
want  of  experience  paralyzed  my  power  of  taking  any 
action  on  the  spot ;  although  I  was  not  the  only  one  who 
was  in  the  same  plight.  I  know  not  with  what  resolution 
I  went  to  bed  :  I  believe  with  none  ;  but  what  I  remember 
is  that  at  break  of  day  there  came  a  loud  knocking  at 
my  door,  and  before  my  maid  had  come,  the  following 
colloquy  took  place  between  the  man  in  the  passage  and 
myself: 

"  Who  are  you  } "  I  cried. 

"  Verge,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Oh  !  Monsieur  Verge,  where  have  you  left  my  husband  ? 
Speak,  speak ! " 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  267 

"  M.  le  marechal  returned  from  Fontainebleau  to  Paris, 
after  the  Emperor's  abdication.  He  has  recognized  the 
government  of  the  Bourbons,  represented  by  the  Provisional 
Government.  Peace  is  made  and  all  is  over.  I\I.  le 
marechal  is  very  anxious  about  you,  madame,  and  ordered 
me  to  follow  this  line,  on  which  he  supposed  you  to  be, 
until  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  find  you." 

I  set  out  forthwith.  On  alighting  from  my  carriage,  all 
eagerness,  in  the  Rue  de  Bourgogne,  I  was  very  disappointed 
at  not  finding  my  husband,  who  had  gone  to  meet  M.  le 
Comte  d'Artois.     It  was  the  12th  of  April  1814. 

This  Prince,  the  object  of  the  adoration  of  his  party,  was, 
in  the  imagination  of  all  those  who  composed  it,  like  one 
of  those  heroes,  great  and  beautiful,  of  romance  and  of 
fairy-tales.  My  mother  and  my  aunts,  although  they  had 
never  seen  him,  had  always  spoken  to  me  of  him  under 
this  impression.  They  wept  on  pronouncing  the  names  of 
Louis  XVL,  of  Marie  Antoinette,  of  the  poor  little  Dauphin, 
of  Madame  Elisabeth ;  they  praised  all  they  knew  of 
Monsieur  (since  Louis  XVIII.);  but  when  they  spoke  of 
M.  le  Comte  d'Artois,  it  was  always  to  add  to  his  name 
some  gracious  recollection.  All  these  reminiscences, 
eclipsed  for  a  time  by  the  brilliant  epoch  which  was  coming 
to  an  end,  now  reawakened  in  me.  I  thought  of  the  joy 
of  my  mother,  of  all  my  family  ;  and  I  only  awaited  the 
Marshal  with  the  more  impatience,  anxious  as  I  was  at 
last  to  satisfy  myself  as  to  his  personal  position  and  the 
manner  in  which  he  took  it.  He  returned  at  last,  charmed 
with  him  whom  he  loved  sincerely  and  whom  he  served 


268  MEMOIRS  OF 

not  only  in  deeds  but  as  much  as  possible  with  his  experi- 
ence of  French  affairs. 

Monsieur  at  once  appointed  your  father  a  Minister 
of  State,  with  a  seat  on  the  Council.  He  spent  much 
of  his  time  at  the  Tuileries,  and  only  returned  to  be 
assailed  by  interminable  audiences  ;  he  was  the  central 
point  of  a  large  number  of  various  interests  which  he  strove 
to  serve.  These  were  those  of  the  army,  the  Royalist 
party  and  the  emigrants.  The  latter  addressed  themselves 
to  him  with  a  confidence  based  upon  a  very  honourable 
past.  In  the  victories  of  the  Republican  army  over  the 
army  of  Conde,  your  father,  while  acting  according  to  his 
duty,  had  not  forgotten  that  he  was  fighting  against 
Frenchmen,  and  had  softened,  perhaps  by  exceptional 
proceedings,  the  hardships  of  the  situation. 

Events  and  obligations  accumulated  for  my  household. 
It  was  a  question  of  visiting  the  Lieutenant-General  of  the 
Kingdom,  Monsieur,  at  the  Tuileries.  The  Prince  had 
declared  that  he  would  receive  all  the  ladies  ;  and  this  was 
taken  so  literally  that  confusion  inconceivable  reigned  at 
this  assembly,  where  I  was  told  that  even  the  Montansier 
was  seen,  she  who  gave  her  name  to  one  of  the  small 
theatres  of  that  period. 

The  Marquise  du  Roure  confided  to  us  that,  anticipating 
the  interview  which  was  about  to  take  place,  she  had  gone 
with  some  of  her  friends  and  placed  herself  somewhere 
where  Monsieur  would  have  to  pass,  and  that,  struck  with 
their  demonstration  of  loyalty,  he  had  greeted  them  with 
his  usual  graciousness  :  so  much  so  that  each  one  said, 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  269 

"He  recognizes  me."  On  the  evening  of  Monsieur's 
reception,  she  successfully  piloted  the  troop  of  young 
married  women  who  had  placed  themselves  under  her 
guidance.  As  for  myself,  I  felt  moved  ;  I  thought  much 
of  my  mother  .  .  . 

The  excitement  of  the  Royalist  ladies  surpassed  descrip- 
tion, and  would  have  been  touching  if,  by  the  side  of  their 
joy,  they  had  not  allowed  to  transpire  occasional  acrimony 
against  the  beaten  party;  but  Mmes.  du  Roure  and  de 
Sainte-Aulaire  were  not  among  those  who  acted  like  this. 
Meantime  the  heat,  the  noise,  and  the  agitation  seemed  to 
have  reached  their  height,  when  a  redoubled  clamour  in- 
formed us  that  the  Prince  was  approaching.  I  stood  on 
tip-toe,  and  perceived  his  very  noble  head  gracefully  and 
unceasingly  bowing.  At  last  he  stood  before  us.  He  was 
exceedingly  amiable  to  Mme.  du  Roure,  who  presented  me 
to  him.  At  the  sound  of  my  name,  he  made  a  quick  move- 
ment of  interest,  eagerly  stepped  towards  me,  and  said  so 
many  kind  things  bearing  upon  the  Marshal's  reputation  that 
my  voice,  filled  with  tears,  could  hardly  be  heard  in  reply. 
But  the  kind  Prince  understood,  and  he  has  often  since  told 
me  that  my  emotion  added  to  the  favourable  impression 
which  the  mention  of  this  new  name,  so  renowned  and  so 
unblemished,  had  produced  upon  him.  Myself,  I  at  once 
felt  for  Charles  X.  the  commencement  of  that  veneration 
and  confidence  which  grew  naturally  from  the  acquaintance 
which  I  afterwards  made  with  his  character,  when  I  had  to  fill 
my  important  office  about  the  person  of  his  daughter-in-law. 

Among  the  duties  which  arose,  in  complicated  fashion, 


27 o  MEMOIRS  OF 

at  that  time  was  one  which  a  very  regrettable  death  left 
me  only  just  time  to  fulfil.  I  wished  to  see  the  Empress 
Josephine,  who  had  remained  at  Malmaison,  where  she  had 
been  respected  amid  all  the  tumult.  I  called  one  morning 
with  Mme.de  Sainte-Aulaire.  We  were  shown  into  the 
drawing-room  next  to  the  gallery  where  the  Princess  was 
closeted,  we  were  told,  with  Mme.  de  Stael.  The  Emperor's 
personal  enemy  had  probably  thought  it  in  good  taste  to 
put  in  an  appearance  at  that  time  at  Malmaison.  The 
action  was  kindly  enough  in  itself,  if  the  woman  of  genius 
had  not  been  so  eager  to  exploit  it  in  favour  of  her  study 
of  the  human  heart,  as  perhaps  you  will  agree  when  you 
read  what  follows. 

When  the  Empress  and  Mme.  de  Stael  appeared,  the 
former  wore  an  air  of  great  excitement  and  emotion. 
Mme.  de  Stael  rapidly  crossed  the  room,  bowed,  and  went 
out.  I  must  tell  you  that  during  the  conference  there  had 
been  shown  into  the  drawing-room,  in  addition  to  Mme.  de 
Sainte-Aulaire  and  myself,  the  Countess  Waleska,  the 
Polish  woman  to  whom  the  Emperor  was  said  to  have 
attached  himself  so  fondly  during  the  campaign  of  i8o6. 
These  two  women,  of  whom  one  had  detested  the  Emperor 
whom  the  other  had  perhaps  too  well  loved,  drawn  by  the 
same  impulse  towards  the  repudiated  Consort,  formed,  you 
will  agree,  a  strange  contrast.  Josephine,  however,  gave  us 
no  time  to  reflect  upon  this  singular  meeting  ;  after  re- 
sponding to  Mme.  de  Stael's  farewell  courtesy,  she  quickly 
came  up  to  the  chimney,  where  we  were  all  standing  in 
silence,  and  said,  without  any  preamble : 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  271 

"  I  have  just  finished  a  very  painful  interview.  W^ould 
you  beheve  that,  among  other  questions  which  Mme.  de 
Stael  thought  fit  to  put  to  me,  she  asked  me  whether  I 
still  loved  the  Emperor?  She  seemed  to  wish  to  analyze 
my  heart  in  presence  of  this  great  misfortune.  I,  who  have 
never  ceased  to  love  the  Emperor  in  the  midst  of  his  great- 
ness .  .  .  did  she  think  that  I  should  now  grow  cold 
towards  him  ?  " 

The  Empress  was  already  very  ill.  Her  head  was 
wrapped  in  a  large  English  shawl ;  she  was  flushed,  her 
breathing  was  oppressed,  and  she  complained  of  catarrh. 
One  could  see  that  she  was  suffering  in  both  body  and 
soul.  She  conducted  almost  the  whole  of  the  conversation, 
talking  with  a  freedom  inspired  probably  by  the  sympathy 
which  she  saw  imprinted  upon  Mme.  de  Sainte-Aulaire's 
features  and  mine;  and  when  she  withdrew,  she  made  us 
promise  to  return  and  dine  with  her  the  next  Sunday. 
Alas !  before  then  she  was  dead !  .  .  ,  She  was  followed 
by  many  regrets.  I  have  heard  King  Charles  X.,  who 
went  to  pay  her  a  visit,  say  that  he  would  have  been  very 
happy  to  continue  on  intimate  terms  with  this  excellent 
Princess. 

Impressions  of  every  kind  succeeded  one  another  without 
interruption.  Not  many  days  afterwards,  the  Marshal 
came  Ik  me  one  evening  and  told  me  to  prepare  to  receive 
the  Czar  of  Russia  the  next  day.  My  agitation  was  great 
at  this  news.  My  husband  summoned  his  staff  and  all  the 
cripples  of  the  war  whom  he  was  able  to  collect  among  his 
intimates  ;  and  in  fact  nearly  all  those  who  gathered  round 


272  MEMOIRS  OF 

him  at  the  top  of  the  staircase  to  receive  the  Emperor  were 
more  or  less  mutilated.  Since  Montereau,  General  Pajol 
wore  his  arm  in  a  sling ;  since  Craonne,  Victor  walked  upon 
crutches ;  M.  de  Xaintrailles  was  bent  in  two  as  the  result 
of  a  lance-thrust  in  the  loins  ;  M.  Jacqueminot  still  limped 
badly,  as  did  General  Pactold :  in  a  word  the  gathering 
was  a  striking  one,  and  did  not  fail  to  produce  its  effect. 

With  the  exquisite  grace  which  never  left  him,  the  Czar 
gave  me  his  hand  to  lead  me  to  the  drawing-room,  where 
all  our  cripples  followed  us.  They  formed  themselves  in 
a  circle,  and  the  Marshal  mentioned  their  names  one  after 
the  other.  Each  was  plied  with  questions  in  detail  full  of 
a  visible  interest. 

"Gentlemen,"  said  the  Czar,  when  he  had  finished,  "you 
have  been  very  badly  treated  by  this  war ;  but  if  on  our 
side  we  have  gained  a  certain  skill,  to  whom  do  we  owe  it  ? 
Why,  the  terrible  lessons  you  used  to  give  us  have  ended 
by  turning  to  our  advantage." 

As  he  pronounced  these  charming  words,  the  Czar  sat 
down,  and  invited  everyone  to  do  the  same.  He  continued 
in  the  same  tone,  taking  us  back  to  the  last  campaigns, 
always  allowing  us  a  large  share  in  the  glory,  and  fascinat- 
ing us  to  such  a  degree  with  his  conversation,  so  elegant 
and  chivalrous  at  the  same  time,  that  we,  the  vanquished 
and  mutilated,  fell  beneath  the  charm  of  the  conqueror. 
This  was  because  Alexander  was  both  magnanimous  and 
sincere,  and  the  perfect  harmony  between  his  language  and 
his  fine  physiognomy  and  the  inflection  of  his  voice  carried 
conviction  to  every  mind. 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  273 

This  memorable  visit,  which  was  prolonged  for  about  an 
hour,  left  in  all  of  us  a  precious  remembrance.  When  the 
Emperor  rose  to  go,  he  found  for  his  escort  a  company  of 
cavalry  which  the  Marshal  had  requested  of  the  first 
military  division ;  the  Marshal's  principal  aide-de-camp 
had  orders  to  command  it  and  to  ride  by  the  Czar's 
carriage-door. 

The  Bourbons  really  appeared  in  the  guise  of  a  pledge  of 
peace  ;  and  it  was  as  such  that  they  were  accepted  by  the 
generality  of  the  population,  who,  while  not  knowing  them, 
received  them  as  the  olive-branch,  the  symbol  which  re- 
moved all  idea  of  war.  By  the  minority  they  were  received 
with  the  enthusiasm  of  hearts  which  had  religiously  pre- 
served the  memory  of  the  past.  But  the  graciousness  of  the 
Lieutenant-General,  of  which  I  have  already  spoken,  was 
beginning  to  incline  all  minds  in  their  favour,  without 
distinction  of  party.  The  rumour  soon  spread  of  a  Charter 
which  Louis  XVIII.  had  long  meditated,  based  upon  the 
British  Constitution.  From  that  moment,  all  ideas,  com- 
binations and  hopes  were  turned  in  his  direction,  and  the 
arrival  of  the  King  was  anxiously  awaited.  The  approach- 
ing entry  of  M.  le  Due  de  Berry  was  also  announced.  He 
preceded  the  King  his  uncle,  and  had  disembarked  at 
Cherbourg,  whence  he  travelled  by  short  journeys,  receiving 
the  homage  of  the  population  on  the  way. 

General  de  Lorencez  was  in  command  at  Cherbourg, 
and  was  the  first  military  authority  to  welcome  the  Prince. 
He  accompanied  him  to  Paris,  and  seemed  quite  impressed 
with    the   candour,  the    kindness,  the   wit   and   even   the 


274  MEMOIRS  OF 

extreme  vivacity  of  M.  le  Due  de  Berry,  who  on  his  side 
had  refused  to  be  separated  from  the  General  during  the 
whole  journey.  They  had  travelled  from  fete  to  fete  ;  the 
Prince's  head  was  really  turned  with  happiness;  and  no  pre- 
sentiment cast  its  shadow  over  that  confiding  heart,  which 
was  to  be  pierced  by  an  assassin's  dagger  not  many  years 
later.  My  husband  soon  made  the  acquaintance  of  M.  le 
Due  de  Berry,  and  they  conceived  for  each  other  a  mutual 
affection,  the  outcome  of  their  frank  and  winning  natures. 

Meantime  the  King  had  disembarked  at  Calais  with 
Mme.  la  Duchesse  d'Angouleme.  The  liberal  intentions  (for 
the  word  Liberalism  now  first  came  into  fashion)  attributed 
to  the  new  Monarch  had  attenuated,  although  perhaps  not 
in  the  army,  the  hostile  rumours  which  had  at  first  been 
spread  with  respect  to  him.  Everyone  agreed  in  saying 
that  he  was  full  of  experience,  enlightenment  and  erudition. 
As  to  the  Princess,  although  nothing  was  known  of  her 
appearance  or  her  habits,  she  aroused  great  interest ;  and 
as  one  likes  to  give  a  shape  to  people  one  has  never  seen, 
it  was  settled  that  Louis  XVL's  orphan,  the  august 
prisoner  of  the  Temple,  was  shy,  sad  and  gentle,  and  that 
she  had  a  pale  countenance,  a  supple  form,  and  a  weak, 
soft  voice. 

Let  me  say  at  once  that  upon  her  apparition  the  Princess 
gave  the  lie  to  all  these  conjectures  ;  and  she  was  never 
forgiven  for  it.  Mme.  la  Duchesse  d'Angouleme,  in  fact, 
was  strongly  built,  with  a  high  colour ;  her  eyes  had  been 
inflamed  by  the  tears  of  her  youth,  but  her  keen,  quick, 
frank  glance  was  not  at  all  cast  down.     Her  voice,  which 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT 


■ib 


was,  it  was  said,  her  father's,  was  a  Httle  mascuHne,  abrupt 
and  positive.  Her  movements  were  ahnost  always  sudden; 
there  was  no  deliberateness  about  her  whole  person,  any 
more  than  about  that  noble  heart,  which  had  never 
anything  to  conceal. 

One  of  the  King's  first  acts  was  to  promulgate  the 
Constitutional  Charter.  The  King  had  turned  the  Senate 
of  the  Empire  into  a  House  of  Peers,  after  adding  to  the 
list  some  names  selected  by  himself,  of  whom  my  husband 
formed  one.  The  solemn  sitting  for  the  reading  of  the 
Charter  was  held  in  the  hall  of  the  Legislative  Body.  I 
was  present  with  a  host  of  other  ladies,  all  eager  to  witness 
the  reception  accorded  to  the  important  words  which  were 
about  to  be  read.  After  the  customary  ceremonial,  the 
Comte  Dabray,  the  Chancellor  of  France,  read  this  im- 
portant act  in  a  very  loud  voice,  and  it  was  passed  with 
enthusiasm  before  the  House  rose.  If  there  were  any 
dissentients,  they  did  not  show  themselves  then. 

Soon  the  time  came  to  be  presented  to  the  King  and  to 
his  august  niece.  The  day  was  appointed,  and  the  discus- 
sion on  the  costume  to  be  worn  commenced  forthwith.  We 
must  have  Court  mantles,  said  one.  No,  said  the  others, 
the  Court  properly  so-called  is  not  yet  organised.  The 
great  question  was  decided  in  favour  of  gowns  with  long 
trains ;  and  the  fleurs-de-lys  were  revived.  The  King's 
reception  was,  like  the  preceding  one,  very  numerously 
attended  and  very  agitated.  His  Majesty,  who  at  that 
time  used  still  to  stand  up,  made  one  forget,  by  his  amiable 
and  dignified  address,  the  enormousness  of  his  size.     He 


276  MEMOIRS  OF 

received  me  with  extreme  graciousness,  but  I  confess  that 
I  always  felt  a  little  timid  in  his  presence. 

I  have  not  yet  spoken  of  M.  le  Due  d'Angouldme,  that 
misjudged  Prince,  a  very  type  of  virtue,  whom  God  alone 
will  have  rewarded.  Although  somewhat  resembling  tiie 
Prince  his  father,  he  could  not  be  described  as  good-look- 
ing. His  figure  was  frail,  his  movements  sudden,  and  he 
was  very  short-sighted.  This  ensemble  did  not  predispose 
one  in  his  favour  ;  but  when  you  saw  him  in  a  drawing- 
room,  the  expression  of  his  loyal  and  kindly  face  captivated 
you  before  long.  Of  an  exemplary  piety,  M.  le  Due 
d'Angouleme  was,  and  remained  until  the  end,  the  slave  of 
his  duties  as  a  husband,  a  son,  and  a  subject.  If  he  always 
insisted  upon  the  prerogatives  due  to  his  rank,  this  was 
because  he  regarded  himself  as  their  depositary ;  for  per- 
sonally he  set  no  price  upon  them.  His  innate  courage 
was  further  supported  by  his  perfect  resignation  to  the 
events  which  might  follow  from  duties  accomplished.  He 
was  inflexible  upon  subjects  that  he  considered  just,  and 
nothing  then  could  make  him  change  his  resolution.  In 
one  word,  he  was  the  gentleman  of  olden  time,  in  his  faith, 
his  loyalty,  and  perhaps  even  in  the  abruptness  of  his 
speech. 

Together  with  the  Royal  Family,  there  returned  succes- 
sively to  France  all  the  Princes  of  the  Blood.  One  of  the 
best  known  of  them,  through  his  name  and  his  influence 
upon  the  emigration,  was  M.  le  Prince  de  Conde.  This 
august  chief  of  the  army  to  which  he  had  given  his  name 
had  lost  part  of  his  intellectual  faculties  at  the  time  of  his 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  277 

return  to  France,  although  this  did  not  prevent  a  multitude 
of  people  from  calling  upon  him.  He  received  with  ex- 
treme politeness.  The  old  names  were  always  present  in 
his  recollection ;  but  he  was  not  always  able  to  remember 
the  period  of  events  which  had  happened,  and  he  once 
replied  to  a  lady  who  came  to  ask  a  favour  of  him,  "  I  will 
mention  the  matter  to  Mme.  de  Polignac,  who  will  explain 
your  business  to  the  Queen,"  thus  passing  over  the  whole 
terrible  period  which  at  moments  escaped  from  his  weary 
head. 

When  my  husband  was  presented  to  him,  struck  with  the 
name,  he  said : 

"  Oudinot !     Ah,  that  is  my  antagonist  at  Constance." 

His  recollection  then  became  more  lucid  for  a  time,  and 
after  exchanging  a  few  words  with  my  husband  upon  that 
military  event : 

"  You  are  a  brave  man,"  he  said,  "  and  I  will  talk  to  the 
King  so  that  he  may  make  you  a  general." 

I  remember  a  dinner  to  which  he  invited  us  at  the  Palais- 
Bourbon,  to  which  he  had  returned.  Victor  was  one  of  the 
party.  He  had  just  been  appointed  Colonel  of  the  King's 
Hussars  (4th  Regiment),  and  sat  facing  the  old  Prince,  who 
had  placed  me  by  his  side,  while  the  Princesse  de  Wagram 
sat  on  the  other.  The  Prince  was  almost  blind  and  very 
deaf.  Soon  a  laboured  conversation  was  started.  He 
mixed  up  his  two  neighbours  and  their  husbands,  and  there 
was  nothing  but  interrupted  remarks  and  explanations, 
which  were  the  more  confusing  inasmuch  as  it  was  neces- 
sary to  shout  them  out  amid  an  immense  table  at  which  all 


278  MEMOIRS  OF 

the  guests  maintained  a  silence  full  of  respect  for  the  august 
old  man.  I  was  half  dead  with  the  effort  ;  but  after  an  in- 
terval, during  which  I  had  taken  time  to  breathe,  the  Prince 
looked  across  at  my  step-son. 

"  Who,"  he  asked,  "  is  that  Austrian  officer  !  " 

"  Why,  Monseigneur,  it's  my  step-son." 

"  Your  son  ?  " 

He  turned  round  and  looked  at  me  :   I  was  twenty-two. 

"  But  at  what  age  were  you  married  then  ?  " 

"  But,  Monseigneur,  he  is  my  stcp-5on." 

"  Ah,  I  understand,  his  mother.  .  .  .  Where  is  his  pro- 
perty ?  " 

In  those  days  Victor's  property,  my  children,  was  some- 
what indefinite  ;  but  as  I  did  not  want  to  give  a  full 
explanation  of  our  position  before  all  the  witnesses  who  were 
listening  to  us,  I  replied  : 

"  At  Bar-sur-Ornain,  Monseigneur." 

"Where  is  that.'"  asked  the  Prince.  "  I  don't  know  the 
name." 

Utterly  nonplussed,  I  replied  : 

"  Bar-le-Duc." 

"Why  are  you  not  more  explicit,  madame  :  now  I  know 
where  you  mean." 

Why  indeed  had  I  called  by  its  revolutionary  name  the 
capital  of  the  Dues  de  Bar?  Great  beads  of  perspiration 
stood  on  my  forehead  after  this  tough  conversation. 

We  also  visited  the  Princesses :  the  Dowager  Mme.  la 
Duchesse  d'Orleans,  ne'e  Penthievre,  mother  of  Louis- 
Philippe,  and  Mme.  la  Duchesse  de   Bourbon,  mother  of 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  279 

M.  le  Due  d'Enghien.  M.  le  Due  d'0rl6ans,  his  wife,  a 
daughter  of  the  King  of  Naples,  his  sister,  Mile.  d'Orleans, 
and  two  or  three  of  his  children,  still  very  young,  returned 
a  little  later  than  the  Royal  Family.  I  must  not  forget 
M.  le  Due  de  Bourbon.  He  Avas  tall,  distinguished,  and 
sad-looking.  There  was  something  about  his  whole  ap- 
pearance which  seemed  well-suited  to  the  father  of  the 
Due  d'Enghien. 

The  private  events  and  general  interests  in  which  my 
husband  took  part  kept  us  constantly  occupied.  A  serious 
question  came  up  for  debate  before  the  Council  of  Ministers, 
at  which  your  father  assisted  in  his  quality  as  Minister  of 
State  without  portfolio.  This  was  to  define  the  position  of 
the  ex-Imperial  Guard.  Your  father  endeavoured  in  vain, 
in  the  interest  both  of  the  Dynasty  and  of  those  picked 
troops,  to  use  all  his  credit  in  order  to  have  only  one  word 
changed,  and  to  have  all  these  brave  soldiers  made  into  a 
Royal  Guard.  He  met  with  keen  sympathy  among  the 
Princes  and  also  among  the  minority  of  the  Council  of 
Ministers,  including  M.  I'Abbe  de  Montesquiou,  the  Minister 
of  the  Interior;  but  they  were  opposed  and  unfortunately 
defeated  by  men  whose  devotion  to  the  cause  of  the  Bour- 
bons was  estimable  because  of  its  fidelity,  but  very  regret- 
table in  its  results.  These  carried  the  day,  and  the  infantry 
of  the  Imperial  Guard  was  divided  into  Royal  Grenadiers 
and  Royal  Chasseurs.  Their  command-in-chief  was  given 
to  Marshal  Oudinot,  with  instructions  to  establish  these 
troops,  who  had  lost  their  high  pay,  in  two  garrisons  far 
removed  from  Paris,  where  they  had  always  performed  a 


28o  MEMOIRS  OF 

confidential  service,  Metz  was  assigned  to  the  Grenadiers 
and  Nancy  to  the  Chasseurs.  Unable  to  obtain  any  of  the 
advantages  of  the  past  for  these  magnificent  regiments,  the 
Marshal  asked  and  obtained  that  at  least  one  of  the  Princes 
should  come  with  him  and  review  them  before  they  were 
removed  from  Fontainebleau.  Yes,  it  was  in  this  spot, 
still  resounding  with  the  Emperor's  last  farewells,  that  his 
Guard  had  been  left  for  several  months. 

It  was  decided  that  M.  le  Due  de  Berry  should  fulfil  this 
mission.  In  order  to  make  it  as  fruitful  as  he  could,  the 
Marshal  went  on  ahead,  and  worked  so  hard  and  so  well 
that  he  did  not  fear  to  urge  the  Prince  to  hurry  his  visit. 
By  showing  these  whiskered  veterans  his  well-known  face, 
the  Marshal  had  disposed  them  as  favourably  as  was  to  be 
expected.  On  his  side,  M.  le  Due  de  Berry  put  so  much 
graciousness  into  his  words  and  his  actions  that  the  Mar- 
shal could  only  congratulate  him  and  ask  him  always  to 
continue  in  the  same  road. 

The  Prince  returned  to  Paris  charmed  with  the  ex- 
Imperial  Guard,  too  much  charmed  perhaps,  for  he  looked 
upon  it  from  that  moment  as  won  over  to  his  cause ; 
whereas  it  was  not  by  such  a  trifle  that  so  great  a  conquest 
could  be  made !  The  Marshal  knew  this,  and  repeatedly 
said  so  ;  but  M.  le  Due  de  Berry,  quick  and  impression- 
able, and  still  possessing  at  thirty-six  all  the  illusions, 
tastes  and  ardour  of  youth,  had  taken  everything  in 
confidence  since  the  first  day  of  his  return  to  France. 
If  he  had  been  the  master,  the  opinions  of  the  Marshal 
would  probably  have  been  adopted.     It  would  have  been 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  281 

the  best  means  of  gaining  the  nation.  But  generally  only 
half-measures  were  taken,  and  soon  dull  discontent  and  ill- 
restrained  murmurs  began  to  be  heard.  They  issued  from 
both  camps. 

I  often  felt  very  sad.  I  thought  that  everybody  was  in 
the  right  or  that  everybody  was  in  the  wrong,  as  you  prefer. 
I  should  have  liked  to  work  to  conciliate  everybody,  as  my 
husband  did.  In  fact,  idolized  by  the  army,  and  respected 
by  the  emigrants  for  having  supported  them  on  certain 
unfortunate  occasions,  the  Marshal  spent  his  life  in  lec- 
turing the  one,  in  consoling  the  other,  in  pleading  for  the 
interests  of  all,  now  with  the  Princes,  to  whom  he  had 
access  at  all  times,  now  with  the  ministers.  His  life  was  so 
gieatly  divided  among  all  these  divers  interests  that  I 
scarcely  ever  saw  him. 

The  City  of  Paris  gave  a  fete  to  the   King.     Now  the 

City  of  Paris  is  a  great  and  puissant  lady,  and  when  she 

puts  herself  out,  it  is  to  some  purpose,  I  promise  you.     I 

was  almost  not  taking  part  in  this  function,  for  I  had  just 

undergone  a  fresh  deception  in  my  maternal  expectations. 

However,  my  strong  constitution  soon  restored  my  health 

sufficiently   to    enable    me   to    content    the    Marshal,  who 

very  much  wished  to  take  me  to  this  fete.     It  commenced 

as  early  as  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.     Seven  immense 

rooms  had  been  prepared  at  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  in  each  of 

which  a  different  entertainment  was  to  be  provided,  from 

two  until  nine  in  the  evening.     Seven  sets  of  tickets  had 

been  distributed,  upon  which   all   Paris  threw   itself  with 

the  avidity  which  distinguishes   it  and  which  always  will 
19 


2  82  MEMOIRS  OF 

distinguish  it  on  occasions  of  this  kind.  The  marshals 
and  their  wives  were  asked  to  the  whole  series.  I  cannot 
give  you  a  very  exact  account  of  this  splendid  fete,  first 
because  my  fatigue  prevented  me  from  taking  note  of 
everything,  and  then  because  I  have  seen  so  many  since 
that  this  one  grows  confused  with  the  rest.  There  were,  in 
short,  speeches,  replies,  cantatas,  interludes  befitting  the 
occasion,  music,  sumptuous  repasts,  magnificent  illumina- 
tions, and  finally,  balls  consisting  of  official  quadrilles  of 
which  I  did  not  stay  for  the  end  of  even  the  first. 

At  this  first  banquet  of  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  as  at  all 
those  that  I  have  attended  since,  what  struck  me  was  to 
see  the  twelve  mayors  of  the  town,  dressed  in  their  uni- 
forms, standing  behind  the  King's  chair  and  waiting  upon 
him  at  table,  while  all  of  us  who  formed  part  of  his  suite 
received  our  plates  from  the  hands  of  messieurs  the 
members  of  the  Municipal  Council,  all  wearing  their  uni- 
forms. 

It  was  at  this  dinner  that  I  more  specially  made  the 
acquaintance  of  the  Marechale  Duchesse  d'Albufera. 
How  pretty  she  was,  and  how  perfectly  happy !  Our 
husbands  were  intimate  with  one  another,  our  positions 
were  analogous,  and  from  that  time  onward  we  were  great 
friends. 

Soon  after,  M.  le  Due  de  Berry  gave  a  fete  at  Bagatelle. 
I  have  omitted  as  yet  to  depict  to  you  the  character  and 
appearance  of  this  Prince.  He  was  short  and  a  little 
cramped  of  stature,  and  had  at  the  first  glance  nothing 
that  told  very  much  in  his  favour ;  but  his  physiognomy 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  283 

was  delicate  and  gracious.  His  desire  to  please  was 
seconded  by  a  charming  wit.  Very  well  educated,  he 
spoke  several  languages  with  ease,  loved  all  the  arts,  and 
encouraged  them  with  generosity  and  discernment.  He 
was  good-natured  and  sincere,  but  sometimes  hasty  to  the 
pitch  of  passion.  This  last  weakness  was  greatly  to  be 
regretted  ;  because  princes,  always  placed  in  full  view  of 
the  people,  are  obliged  to  play  a  part  from  an  early  date. 
It  is  therefore  the  duty  of  those  who  train  them  to  accus- 
tom them  to  self-constraint  (not  to  be  confused  with 
hypocrisy),  and  to  exercise  over  themselves  the  empire 
necessary  to  their  duty  as  princes.  M.  le  Due  de  Berry, 
brought  up  in  exile  from  1791  to  18 14,  had  been  left  to 
his  own  nature,  which  was  sometimes  violent,  more  often 
generous,  and  which  became  sublime  when  his  last  hour 
had  struck. 

There  was  talk  of  a  journey  of  M.  le  Due  de  Berry  in 
the  East.  In  September,  the  Marshal  received  orders 
to  go  and  prepare  the  way,  and  it  was  to  this  that  I 
owed  the  happiness  of  being  at  last  able  to  revisit  my 
mother  and  my  family.  A  short-lived  joy,  for  every  minute 
was  apportioned.  However,  one  can  say  and  hear  much 
even  in  a  few  moments,  and  I  gathered  many  details  on 
the  terrible  months  which  had  been  spent.  We  had  no 
m.ore  time  to  delay  at  Jeand'heurs  and  at  Bar  than  at 
Vitry,  being  bound  with  all  possible  despatch  to  reach 
Metz,  Nancy  and  Thionville,  for  the  Marshal  had  much 
to  do  in  all  these  places. 

Our  excellent  friend   M.  Gouy,  who  lived  at  Metz,  was 


284  MEMOIRS  OF 

of  great  help  to  me.  He  drove  me  round  this  charming 
country  while  my  husband's  military  expeditions  took  him 
to  this  side  and  that.  The  last  of  these  was  to  Thion- 
ville,  I  believe  ;  but  what  is  certain  is  that  he  returned 
with  the  Prince,  and  then  commenced  the  turmoil  of  all 
the  bewildering  fetes.  In  a  fortified  town,  containing  a 
garrison  of  ten  or  twelve  thousand  men  of  all  arms,  all 
under  the  command  of  Marshal  Oudinot,  so  active  and 
eager,  there  were  bound  to  be  plenty  of  military  displays. 
In  the  morning  it  was  reviews,  sham  fights  :  at  night, 
performances  at  the  theatre,  balls,  fireworks.  I  remember 
that  once,  during  a  display  of  the  latter,  we  were  standing 
on  the  balcony  of  the  Prefecture,  among  a  great  many 
people,  when  we  were  assailed  by  the  falling  rockets.  The 
Prince,  taking  off  his  helmet  (he  always  wore  a  Chasseur 
uniform),  came  and  held  it  over  my  head  to  protect  me, 
which  I  would  not  allow;  but  you  will  agree  that  it  was  a 
chivalrous  intention  ! 

I  suffered  during  the  whole  time  from  the  unpleasantness 
of  occupying  the  place  of  honour.  This  was  the  inevitable 
consequence  of  the  rank  of  my  husband.  I  did  not  dance, 
and  remained  with  a  large  number  of  ladies  in  the  boxes 
of  the  theatre,  where  the  ball  was  given.  The  sight  was 
animated  and  charming  ;  and  when  M.  le  Due  de  Berry 
started  to  walk  round  the  room,  the  officers,  with  a 
spontaneous  movement,  placed  themselves  in  two  rows, 
drew  their  swords,  and  crossed  them  above  the  Prince's 
head,  he  passing  beneath  this  vault  of  steel  with  a  quick 
feeling  of  happiness,  eagerly  displayed. 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  285 

From  Metz,  the  Prince  went  to  Nancy,  where  the 
Marshal  preceded  him.  My  husband  and  I  stayed  with  Mgr. 
d'Osmond,  a  prelate  who  was  both  witty  and  gracious  :  this 
without  prejudice  to  his  episcopal  qualities.  The  honours 
of  the  episcopal  palace  were  admirably  done  by  the 
Comtesse  d'Argout,  the  bishop's  sister.  We  spent  a  day 
at  Nancy  and  then  went  on  to  Bar,  the  Prince  having 
intimated  to  the  Marshal  that  he  would  end  his  journey 
by  a  visit  to  the  chief  town  of  the  department  of  the 
Meuse,  and  that  he  would  stay  beneath  our  roof- 
Unfortunately,  this  roof  was  only  just  rebuilt,  and  every- 
thing was  still  wanting  in  the  inner  arrangement  of  the 
house.  The  furniture,  or  what  remained  of  it,  was  not 
sufficient  to  furnish  the  two  storeys,  which  had  been 
ravaged  by  the  fire,  and  we  were  barely  able  to  make  good 
the  deficiency  during  the  two  days  which  we  had  before- 
hand. Luckily,  the  furniture  of  the  bedroom  and  drawing- 
room  known  as  the  Emperor's  was  only  somewhat  faded. 
We  were  therefore  certain  of  being  able  properly  to  accom- 
modate the  Prince  during  the  twenty-four  hours  he  pro- 
mised us. 

The  Marshal  had  invited  my  mother,  my  Aunt 
Clotilde  de  Coucy,  and  her  daughter  Zoelie  (who  has  since 
became  Mme.  de  Beaufort)  to  be  with  us  against  the 
Prince's  arrival.  The  thought  of  beholding  a  Bourbon  and 
of  assisting  me  to  receive  him  under  our  roof  had  turned 
the  heads  of  my  three  dear  Royalists. 

The  streets  were  full  of  movement,  which  overflowed 
into  the  court-yard  and  the  house  itself.      There  were  the 


286  MEMOIRS  OF 

authorities  ;  there  were  the  young  ladies  with  baskets  of 
flowers,  of  course  escorted  by  their  parents  ;  there  was  my 
family  ;  there  were  our  friends  ;  there  were  the  Grenadiers, 
keeping  order  ;  and  last  of  all  there  were  the  old  emigrants, 
the  Knights  of  Saint  Louis,  seeking  to  dispute  Avith  the 
last  the  honour  of  guarding  Monseigneur. 

They  had  swarmed  from  every  side,  these  poor  old 
men  ;  they  had  put  on  uniform  as  far  as  they  were  able, 
and,  encouraged  by  the  Marshal,  had  met  in  his  house. 
Certainly,  there  was  something  very  legitimate  and  very 
touching  in  the  eagerness  of  these  fine  old  gentlemen, 
and  yet  one  could  hardly  restrain  a  smile  on  seeing  their 
attitudes  as,  with  their  bare  swords  at  their  shoulders,  they 
drew  themselves  up  at  the  outer  door  of  the  drawing-room 
to  guard,  as  they  said,  their  Prince.  Those  old  rusty 
blades,  those  superannuated  uniforms,  those  antiquated 
faces,  mingled  and  confused  with  the  hundred  Grenadiers 
of  the  Old  Guard,  the  brilliant  aides-de-camp  of  the 
Marshal,  the  no  less  elegant  of  M.  le  Due  de  Berry 
(including  General  de  Montelegier  and  the  Prince  de 
Leon)  and  a  large  number  of  officers  who  had  come 
up  from  the  neighbouring  garrisons,  personified  this 
period  of  transition,  which  was  perhaps  unique  in  our 
history. 

The  Prince,  who  had  made  his  entry  between  four  and 
five  o'clock,  amid  the  movement  of  Avhich  I  have  spoken, 
at  once  received  with  great  graciousness  all  those  who  filled 
the  house.  We  then  sat  down  to  a  dinner  to  which  all  the 
leading  authorities  had  been  invited.     At  night,  the  Mar- 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  287 

shal  asked  Monseigneur  to  come  outside  and  see  the 
illuminations  from  the  doorstep,  which,  together  with  all 
the  other  arrangements,  were  in  the  expert  hands  of  M. 
Jacqueminot. 

The  next  day  we  were  to  go  to  Jeand'heurs,  where  tables 
were  laid  along  each  of  the  four  sides  of  the  grand  court- 
yard, and  spread  with  wines,  joints,  and  hams  in  profusion. 
This  was  in  honour  of  the  detachment  of  Grenadiers  who 
had  preceded  the  Prince,  and  who  were  to  resume  in  the 
country  the  service  which  they  had  rendered  in  the  town 
the  day  before.  We  arrived  at  about  eleven  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  and  breakfast  was  served  at  once  both  in  the 
chateau  and  the  courtyard.  A  joyous  tumult  reigneJ. 
When  he  had  finished,  the  Prince  had  a  charming  idea  : 
accompanied  by  the  Marshal  and  his  staff  he  left  the  table, 
and  standing  on  the  step,  amid  the  tables  of  the  Grenadiers, 
he  lifted  his  glass  and  drank  to  their  healths.  There  issues 
from  those  formidable  voices  a  "  Hurrah  ! "  which  seemed 
to  us  to  be  of  good  augury.  A  fine  autumn  sun  lit  up  the 
park,  which  was  radiant.  The  boats,  all  dressed  with  bunt- 
ing, were  drawn  up  before  the  oak  ;  the  rowers  were  at 
their  posts,  and  we  embarked  at  once.  Monseigneur,  on 
the  principal  boat,  took  all  the  ladies  with  him,  M.  Jacque- 
minot steering.  The  second  boat  contained  the  Marshal, 
the  Prefect,  and  so  forth.  The  five  others  followed, 
filled  with  people.  The  cannon,  the  music,  all  contributed 
to  animate  the  scene ;  but  it  was  soon  disturbed  by  an 
incident  which  filled  us  with  affright.  M.  Jacqueminot 
with  a  movement  quick  as  thought,  left  the  rudder,  took 


288  MEMOIRS  OF 

off  his  sword  and,  taking  no  account  of  his  uniform,  leapt 
from  the  barge  into  the  river,  while  at  the  same  time  my 
step-son  Augusta  did  the  same  from  his  father's  barge.  The 
scarlet  uniform  of  the  Chevau-Legers  shone  out  beneath 
the  water,  and  in  no  way  impeded  your  brother's  move- 
ments ;  he  gracefully  executed  all  the  evolutions  of  a  con- 
summate swimmer,  paying  no  heed  to,  or  not  hearing,  the 
stentorian  words  of  M.  le  Due  de  Berry,  who  shouted  to 
both  the  rash  young  men  : 

"  I  order  you  to  get  back  on  board  !  " 

But  one  of  them  was  no  longer  in  a  condition  to  obey. 
M.  Jacqueminot,  seized  with  the  cold,  painfully  and  in  a 
feeble  voice  cried  : 

"  Give  me  an  oar,  I  am  sinking  !  " 

Frozen  with  terror,  w^e  who  were  in  the  barge  almost 
capsized  it,  owing  to  the  spontaneous  movement  which 
carried  us  all  towards  the  side  of  the  drowning  man.  Only 
one  of  us  retained  his  presence  of  mind  and  made  us  resume 
our  seats,  and  that  was  M.  le  Due  de  Berry.  He  held  out 
an  oar  to  M.  Jacqueminot,  who  had  hardly  the  strength 
left  to  seize  it,  pulled  him  up  to  the  barge,  and  taking 
him  by  the  collar,  thanks  to  the  strength  of  his  two 
vigorous  wrists,  hoisted  him  into  the  barge,  where  he  lay 
for  dead. 

Auguste  had  climbed  back,  on  his  side,  full  of  life  and 
animation ;  he  did  not  become  aware  of  the  terror  which  he 
had  occasioned  until  he  saw  the  distress  upon  his  father's 
face.  We  were  rowed  back  at  quick  speed,  and  soon  a 
warm  bed  and  proper  care  restored  the  only  one  of  the 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  289 

two  who  had  suffered,  so  much  so  that  two  hours  later 
he  was  able  to  take  leave  of  the  Prince,  together  with  his 
comrades,  at  the  carriage-door. 

The  catastrophe  of  the  immersions,  which  had  upset  us 
all,  put  an  end  to  our  water-party ;  moreover,  time  was 
passing,  and  Monseigneur  had  still  to  distribute  among  the 
officers  who  had  come  up  from  every  side  several  Crosses 
of  Saint-Louis  and  of  the  Legion  of  Honour.  He  knighted 
them  beneath  the  fine  vaulted  ceiling  of  the  drawing-room 
at  Jeand'heurs ;  it  was  an  imposing  sight,  and  one  not  easily 
forgotten.  General  de  Castelbajac,  one  of  the  Knights, 
could  never  speak  calmly  of  this  solemnity,  which  well 
suited  his  fine  and  noble  figure.  My  uncle,  who  was  at 
that  time  sous-prefet  of  Vitry,  was  also  decorated,  and 
received  under  the  eyes  of  his  family.  I  was  very  pleased 
at  this. 

A  few  weeks  later,  we  returned  to  Paris,  and  this  winter 
was  my  real  debut  in  society.  Visits,  engagements,  fetes 
simply  rained  down  upon  us.  The  Marshal  used  to 
accompany  me  at  first,  but  he  soon  grew  tired  of  it,  and 
wished  me  to  present  myself  everywhere  alone.  I  had  no 
one  to  consult,  and  could  only  rely  upon  my  good  inten- 
tions and  upon  the  principles  and  examples  which  my 
good  mother  had  instilled  into  me.  But  what  was  also  a 
powerful  aid  to  me  was  my  pride  at  being  the  wife  of  your 
father,  who  bore  so  well  and  so  proudly  his  baton  as  a 
Marshal  of  France !  I  was  proud  too  of  my  title  taken 
from  a  foreign  duchy,  and  won  abroad  at  the  sword's  point, 
I    thought   that    Reggio    figured    well   among   the    Mont- 


290  MEMOIRS  OF  MARSHAL  OUDJNOT 

morencies,  the  Crillons,  the  Noailles,  and  the  Perigords. 
Imbued  with  these  reflections,  I  gradually  learnt  to  occupy 
the  place  due  to  your  father's  wife  in  this  new  and  brilliant 
world,  and  this  position,  which  preceded  that  which  I  held 
a  little  later  at  Court,  has,  I  believe,  never  left  me. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

The  return  from  Elba — Oudinot's  attitude — lie  remains  faithful  to  Louis 
XVIII.,  but  his  soldiers  desert  to  the  Emperor — He  receives  orders  to 
keep  to  his  estate,  but  is  afterwards  summoned  to  Paris — Exchange  of 
letters  with  Marshal  Davout — Oudinot  refuses  to  serve  during  the 
hundred  days — After  Waterloo,  he  is  appointed  Commander-in-Chief 
of  the  National  Guard — Return  of  Louis  XVIIL — Oudinot's  efforts  to 
protect  the  army  against  the  Royalist  reaction — His  attempt  to  jave 
Marshal  Ney — His  grief  on  learning  of  the  execution — The  Duchesse  de 
Reggio  is  made  Mistress  of  the  Robes  to  the  Duchesse  de  Berry — Her 
departure  to  meet  the  Princess — Portrait  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry — The 
presentation — The  return  journey. 

In  mid-winter  1814,  Marshal  Soult,  Due  de  Dalmatic,  who 
was  then  Minister  at  War,  ordered  all  the  governors  to 
go  and  reside  in  the  centre  of  their  respective  commands. 
Your  father's,  which  had  Metz  for  its  principal  town,  was 
one  of  the  most  important,  both  because  of  its  geographical 
position,  and  because  of  the  presence  of  the  ex-Imperial 
Guard,  which  was  garrisoned  at  Metz  and  Nancy.  We 
were  hardly  given  time  to  pack  up  in  Paris  and  to  make 
our  arrangements  at  Metz. 

We  took  up  our  quarters  at  Metz  at  the  large  Hotel 
de  la  Princerie,  which  we  were  told  was  destined  for  the 
commanders-in-chief,  and  which  did  not  contain  a  single 
chair  until  hasty  arrangements  had  been  made  by  M.  Gouy. 
The  Marshal  desired  at  once  to  receive  the  inhabitants, 
the  garrison  and  the  whole  province,  and  I  cannot  describe 
to  you  the  trouble  we  were  put  to,  since  everything  was 


Z9Z  MEMOIRS  OF 

unfinished  or  in  ruins.  However,  by  making  many  pur- 
chases, and  hiring  the  rest,  we  were  able  to  keep  open  table 
almost  immediately  after  our  installation. 

Apart  from  the  uniforms,  which  naturally  swarmed  at 
our  receptions,  there  were  local  authorities  and  notabilities 
without  end.  I  had  already  met  the  Prefect,  M.  de 
Vaublanc,  and  his  wife.  My  intimacy  with  M.  and  Mme. 
Gouy  increased  ;  and  they  were  very  useful  in  initiating  me 
into  the  details  of  Metz  society.  I  did  not  know  whether 
we  were  there  for  a  long  or  a  short  while,  and  my  continual 
receptions  during  this  provisional  period  were  really  be- 
wildering. The  remainder  of  February  and  the  first  few 
days  of  March  were  spent  in  this  way.  The  Marshal 
determined  to  give  a  great  ball,  which  redoubled  my 
occupations  as  hostess. 

The  day  for  it  had  arrived,  and  I  was  giving  a  last 
glance  at  the  preparations,  and  was  going  to  dress,  when 
I  heard  some  unexpected  news.  The  Emperor,  they  said, 
had  just  disembarked  at  Cannes,  and  was  marching  upon 
Paris  with  the  nucleus  of  his  Elban  Guard,  which  had 
grown  like  a  snow-ball,  and  was  already  developing  into  a 
positive  force.  I  still  doubted  the  truth  of  the  rumour, 
when  the  Marshal  came  to  my  room  and  confirmed  all  this 
news,  which  he  had  just  received  by  an  express  from  the 
War  Office.  An  express  !  when  the  telegraph  might  have 
been  employed  to  inform  him  twenty-four  hours  earlier ! 
And  meantime  the  hour  for  the  ball  had  come ! 

"  You  shall  dance  to-night,  my  dear,"  said  the  Marshal. 
"  You  must  keep  a  good  countenance,  know  nothing,  and 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  293 

allow  nobody  else  to  know  anything.  I  want  the  ball  to 
be  very  animated,  for  while  it  lasts  I  shall  be  holding  an 
extraordinary  council  in  my  room,  consisting  of  the 
generals  and  colonels  of  the  garrison  and  the  notables  of 
the  country." 

Among  the  colonels  was  your  brother  Victor,  who 
formed  part  of  the  garrison  with  his  fine  regiment  of  the 
1st  Hussars. 

Guests  came  in  crowds,  and  the  music  and  dancing  never 
ceased.  Refreshments  of  every  kind  were  handed  round 
without  stopping.  The  Marshal  had  his  wish,  the  ball  was 
very  animated,  and  it  did  not  finish  till  well  into  the  night. 

Greatly  agitated  because  the  Marshal  had  not  returned 
to  the  ball-room,  very  tired,  worn  out  in  body,  soul  and 
mind,  I  went  to  bed  without  knowing  what  had  happened 
downstairs.  There  was  no  time  for  your  father  to  give  me 
long  details,  for  he  had  received  very  tardy  but  very  definite 
orders  as  to  the  course  to  pursue  He  was  told  to  march 
a  portion  of  the  Royal  Grenadiers  and  Chasseurs  to  Langres, 
in  order  to  oppose  the  progress  of  the  Emperor,  who  had 
arrived  at  Grenoble  in  triumph,  and  was  marching  at  full 
speed  in  the  direction  of  Paris. 

The  Marshal  had  no  illusions  as  to  the  feeling  and  in- 
tentions of  the  troops.  Nevertheless,  he  at  once  took  his 
measures,  both  as  to  what  he  was  to  leave  at  Mctz,  the 
most  important  of  our  frontier  places,  and  for  his  march  of 
the  next  day.  Though  the  first  news  of  the  Emperor's 
landing  had  come  late,  the  news  of  his  triumphal  march 
followed  rapidly  enough.     With  the  ministers,  anxiety  and 


294  MEMOIRS  OF 

dread  had  succeeded  to  the  sort  of  presumptuous  security 
which  had  greeted  the  first  announcement  of  the  return 
from  Elba.  And  the  orders  transmitted  bore  evident  signs 
of  this  perturbation. 

It  was,  I  beHeve,  on  this  same  day  that  my  husband 
received  a  letter  from  Marshal  Ney  which  he  was  glad  to 
be  able  to  produce  at  a  later  date,  on  the  occasion  of  the 
latter's  distressing  trial.  I  do  not  know  it  by  heart,  but  I 
can  still,  as  it  were,  read  these  words  : 

"  Let  us  unite  our  efforts,"  he  wrote  to  Marshal  Oudinot, 
"against  the  attempts  of  the  common  enemy." 

If  this  is  not  the  exact  text,  it  is  at  least  the  sense  of  the 
message,  which  was  dated  from  Franche-Comte  on  the  eve 
of  the  day  when  Ney  turned,  at  the  head  of  his  troops, 
from  the  King  to  the  Emperor. 

Meantime,  unspeakable  tumult  reigned  at  the  Princerie. 
While  the  Marshal  was  despatching  to  Toul  a  column  of 
his  Grenadiers,  whom  he  was  to  join  the  same  evening,  and 
multiplying  his  arrangements  as  to  what  was  to  be  done 
and  left  undone  within  the  walls  of  Metz,  I  gave  my  keys 
to  Mme.  Gouy,  unreservedly  surrendering  to  her  the  care 
of  my  house,  and  prepared  to  accompany  the  Marshal,  who 
was  to  put  me  down  at  Bar  in  passing. 

As  we  were  stepping  into  our  carriage,  a  Royal  express 
came  up  and  handed  my  husband  an  urgent  message. 
This  was  an  autograph  letter  from  Mgr.  le  Due  de  Berry, 
authorizing  the  Marshal,  in  the  name  of  His  Majesty,  to 
proclaim  the  Royal  Grenadiers  and  Chasseurs  as  a  Royal 
Guard  from   that  moment,  a  tardy  and  useless  measure, 


MARSHAL  OUDINOr  295 

which  the  Marshal  had  solicited  in  vain  at  a  more  oppor- 
tune time. 

"  Drive  to  Toul,"  said  the  Marshal. 

It  was  night  when  we  arrived  at  an  hotel  in  the  Place 
d'Armes  in  that  town.  It  was  full  of  officers  ;  the  principal 
room  had  been  reserved  for  us,  but  it  was  only  one  room, 
without  a  corner  for  me  to  retire  to.  Soon,  the  generals 
arrived  by  command.  Without  exactly  explaining  what 
he  might  have  to  say  to  the  troops,  my  husband  asked 
these  gentlemen  how  they  would  be  likely  to  receive  an 
address  ending  with  a  "  Long  live  the  King  !" 

"  Try,  and  see,  monsieur  le  marechal,"  said  General 
Roguet ;  "try,  and  see." 

The  others  made  no  reply. 

"Well,  then,  give  my  orders,"  said  the  Marshal.  "I 
will  hold  a  review  at  daybreak  to-morrow  and  speak  to 
them." 

They  had  hardly  gone  out,  when  General  Trommelin 
returned  alone.  He  had  seen  and  heard  the  Emperor's 
emissaries  in  the  cafes  of  the  town,  and  had  gathered 
unequivocal  proofs  of  the  intentions  of  the  officers  of  all 
ranks. 

"  But  how  about  my  review  of  to-morrow ! "  said  your 
father.  "  And  my  cry  of  "  Long  live  the  King  ! '  which  I 
don't  want  to  compromise.  Look  here,  I  must  clear  up 
this  question  directly  and  without  delay.  Go  and  tell  the 
generals  to  send  me  all  the  officers,  from  sub-lieutenant  to 
colonel  :  I  must  speak  to  them  and  have  done  with  this 
position." 


296  MEMOIRS  OF 

Not  long  after,  a  treble  row  of  officers  was  crammed  in 
our  room,  forming  a  circle  with  the  Marshal  in  the  centre. 
He  waited  until  they  had  all  taken  their  places  in  silence, 
and  then  expressed  himself  more  or  less  in  the  following 
words  : 

"  Gentlemen,  in  the  circumstances  in  which  we  are  placed 
I  wish  to  make  an  appeal  to  your  loyalty.  We  are 
marching  under  the  white  cockade.  I  am  to  review 
you  to-morrow  before  our  departure :  with  what  cry 
will  you  and  your  men  reply  to  my  '  Long  live  the 
King .? ' " 

These  words  were  followed  by  absolute  silence.  Nothing 
so  striking  ever  passed  before  my  eyes.  I  was  hidden 
behind  a  curtain,  and  had  remained  a  forced  witness 
of  this  unparalleled  scene.  Two  hotel  candles  lighted 
it  sufficiently  to  prevent  me  from  losing  any  of  it  ;  but 
their  pale  reflection  on  those  manly  and  gloomy  faces 
produced  an  indescribable  effect.  This  silence,  expressive 
though  it  was,  could  not  be  accepted  by  the  Marshal  as  a 
reply.  I  saw  the  storm  about  to  break  forth  ;  each  second 
was  a  century.  ...  At  last  the  Marshal  said  : 

"  Well,  gentlemen  }  " 

Then  a  young  officer  of  inferior  rank  stepped  forward, 
and  said  : 

"  Monsieur  le  marechal,  I  am  bound  to  tell  you,  and  no 
one  here  will  contradict  me  :  when  you  cry,  '  Long  live  the 
King ! '  our  men  and  we  will  answer,  '  Long  live  the 
Emperor! '" 

"  I  thank  you,  gentlemen,"  replied   the  Marshal.     Then 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  297 

he  bowed  to  them,  and  the  last  of  them  filed  out  without 
another  word. 

That  same  day  the  Marshal  drove  to  Jcand'hcurs,  where 
he  set  me  down,  and  the  next  day  he  followed  his  troops, 
who  still  wore  the  same  colours  as  himself ;  for  although 
insurrection  was  undoubtedly  in  every  heart,  not  a  single 
outward  sign  or  breach  of  discipline  had  as  yet  given  the 
Commander-in-Chief  the  right  to  believe  his  soldiers  to 
belong  to  the  opposite  camp.  The  crisis  burst  at  Chau- 
mont.  It  was  there,  at  the  Prefect's,  where  my  husband 
had  just  received  the  news  and  the  positive  details  of 
Marshal  Ney's  defection,  that  his  Grenadiers,  who  had 
arrived  before  him,  sent  in  word  to  say  that  although, 
from  personal  respect  for  himself,  they  had  till  then  retained 
the  white  cockade,  they  must  warn  him  that  they  were 
about  to  hoist  the  tricolor  and  march  towards  the  Em- 
peror under  those  colours,  not  to  fight  him,  but  to  sup- 
port him.  They  besought  him  not  to  leave  them,  and  so 
forth. 

The  Marshal's  only  reply  was  to  take  post  to  Jean- 
d'heurs,  where  he  picked  me  up,  and  without  stopping  took 
me  to  Metz.  Immediately  upon  his  arrival,  he  declared 
the  place  in  state  of  siege.  The  seat  of  the  deliberations 
was  naturally  the  Princeric,  where  the  Marshal  was  sur- 
rounded by  the  Prefect,  the  generals,  the  superior  officers, 
and  all  the  leading  men  of  the  country.  The  proclama- 
tion declaring  the  city  in  state  of  siege  was  in  the  King's 
name,  and  was  posted,  at  every  corner.  Part  of  the  town 
and  garrison  was  seething.     What  a  life  I  led  during  those 


298  MEMOIRS  OF 

hours  which  corresponded  with  the  Emperor's  entry  into 
Paris  ! 

My  rooms  were  on  the  first  floor,  overlooking  the  Place 
d'Armes,  the  whole  of  the  ground-floor  belonging  to  the 
Marshal  and  his  service.  I  only  came  down  for  meals, 
and  even  then  I  hardly  took  time  to  finish  them,  so 
tumultuous  were  they  and  interrupted.  I  had  gone  back 
to  my  room  on  the  evening  of  the  second  day  after  our 
arrival,  and  was  sitting  by  the  fire  reflecting  sadly  upon  the 
events  of  the  day  and  of  those  which  were  to  ensue,  when 
a  vague  noise  was  heard  outside,  increasing  to  such  an 
extent,  as  it  drew  nearer,  that  I  went  to  my  window  and 
saw  the  whole  of  the  Place  d'Armes  literally  covered 
with  people.  Distracted  with  fear,  I  went  down  to  my 
husband,  whom  I  found  receiving  the  reports  of  a  number 
of  terrified  people,  who  announced  a  most  decided  dis- 
turbance. 

"  Well,"  said  the  Marshal,  "  what  do  they  think  ?  What 
do  they  want  ?  " 

"  Some  say  that  M.  le  Due  de  Berry  is  here,  and  that 
you  have  declared  the  city  in  state  of  siege  in  order  to 
keep  a  refuge  for  him  ;  others  say  that  you  mean  to  open 
the  gates  to  the  Prussians." 

These  words  were  received  with  cold  disdain  ;  and  the 
Marshal  only  said  to  me  : 

"  Go  back,  my  dear,  and  stay  in  your  room." 

With  my  face  glued  to  my  window  and  my  ears 
pricked  up,  I  saw  and  listened  to  the  riot,  which  rose  like 
the  surge  of  the  sea.     They  threatened  to  force  the  gates 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  299 

of  the  house.  The  Marshal  went  down  and  mingled  with 
the  crowd  ;  he  spoke,  and  was  listened  to.  During  this 
time,  an  attempt  was  made  to  divide  the  crowd  and  make 
it  separate  peacefully  ;  but  how  difficult  it  was  to  persuade 
the  troops  to  put  down  a  clamour  which  expressed  their 
own  sentiments  ! 

Colonel  Oudinot's  regiment,  a  model  of  discipline,  was 
still  perfectly  obedient  to  its  chief,  and  took  a  large  part 
in  the  allaying  of  the  riot.  Their  measures  were  jiartly 
seconded  by  the  lateness  of  the  hour  and  the  badness  of 
the  weather.  The  Marshal's  guard  was  trebled,  and  he 
spent  the  whole  night  in  receiving  all  kinds  of  reports  and 
giving  endless  orders. 

When  the  morning  came,  the  town  was  still  disturbed, 
but  seemed  less  threatening.  I  did  not  leave  my  window. 
Towards  mid-day  I  heard  an  increased  noise,  but  this 
time  they  were  shouts  of  joy  ;  all  heads  were  upraised,  and 
following  their  direction,  I  saw  that  they  were  hoisting  in 
front  of  me,  upon  the  topmost  tower  of  the  cathedral,  the 
tricolor  flag.  .  .  .  All  was  over!  The  Marshal's  authority 
was  disowned  ;  there  was  nothing  left  for  him  to  do  but 
go  away.  Moreover,  the  King  had  abandoned  the  seat  of 
government  v/ithout  giving  any  directions,  of  whatever  kind, 
to  your  father.  Since  the  tardy  and  futile  letter  of  the  Due 
de  Berry,  relating  to  the  Grenadiers,  he  had  not  received  a 
single  order  emanating  from  the  Bourbons.  In  all  that  he 
had  done  he  had  been  prompted  solely  by  his  duty  towards 
them  ;  and  this  duty  he  had  loyally  fulfilled.  And  thus, 
when  he  saw  with  his  eyes  those  three  colours  which  had 


300  MEMOIRS  OF 

once  been  so  dear  to  him,  and  which  he  could  not  now 
salute,  he  gave  orders  for  his  immediate  departure.  We 
left  that  evening,  escorted  from  the  town  by  Colonel 
Oudinot's  Hussars.  No  hostile  demonstration  came, 
to  our  knowledge,  to  add  to  the  sadness  of  this  fresh 
journey. 

It  was  a  strange  and  contradictory  position  in  which 
your  father  found  himself  placed,  obliged  to  withdraw 
before  the  glorious  flag  for  which  he  had  fought  victoriously 
for  twenty  years  of  his  life.  Ah,  how  cruel  it  was !  But 
he  had  been  relieved  by  the  Emperor's  first  abdication 
from  his  oath  to  the  three  colours ;  and  as  he  had  accepted 
the  command  of  Metz  under  the  white  flag,  he  was  bound 
not  to  leave  under  any  other  emblem. 

On  leaving  Metz,  Oudinot  wrote  the  following 
letter  to  the  new  Minister  for  War,  his  old  comrade 
Marshal  Davout : 

"Metz,  March  1815. 

"  Unable  and  unwilling  to  play  a  double  part,  I  am 
leaving  Metz  in  order  to  repair  to  ]5ar-sur-0rnain,  my 
residence.  I  will  leave  General  Duruth  in  command  of  the 
3rd  Division.  This  general  officer  will  fill  the  post  capably 
and  trustworthily. 

"  I  only  ask  one  thing  of  you,  my  dear  minister,  and  that 
is  not  to  enquire  into  my  means  of  existence.  I  will  sell 
the  little  I  possess  to  pay  the  more  delicate  portion  of  my 
debts.     Prevent  any  one  from  spying  into  my  mode  of  life, 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  301 

and  tell  them  that  Oudinot,  in  the  midst  of  his  unhappiness, 
is  incapable  of  an  act  of  perfidy. 

"  Your  friend, 

{Signed)         "  MARSHAL  OUDINOT." 

This  letter  probably  crossed  the  following  appeal 
from  Davout : 

«  War  Office, 

"  Paris,  21  March  181 5. 
"  My  dear  marshal, 

"You  must  know  and  have  learnt  from  published 
documents  the  nature  of  recent  events  and  their  results. 

"  All  Frenchmen  must  rally  to  prevent  civil  war  and 
drive  back  the  foreigner.  There  is  no  need  to  recall  these 
sentiments  to  the  heart  of  an  Oudinot.  I  am  informed 
by  a  general  whom  we  both  hold  in  esteem  that,  when 
separated  from  the  Guard  at  Chaumont,  your  one  plan  was 
to  bring  back  to  the  frontier  places  already  threatened  and 
coveted  from  abroad  the  troops  which  you  had  set  in 
movement  in  another  direction.  In  this  resolution  not 
under  any  pretext  to  suffer  an  invasion  of  French  territory, 
I  recognized  your  devotion  to  the  common  interests  of  the 
country.  The  orders  which  I  shall  transmit  to  you  from 
the  Emperor  will  have  no  other  motive  or  object.  I  long, 
both  as  your  friend  and  as  a  minister,  to  give.jar  rather  to 
repeat  to  you  this  assurance. 

"  Kind  regards. 

{Signed)         "Marshal  Prince  dTxkmuhl." 


302  MEMOIRS  OF 

Oudinot  replied  to  this  appeal : 

"  Metz,  March  1815. 

"  My  dear  marshal, 

"You  were  right  in  believing  that  in  returning  to 
my  strongholds  I  had  no  other  object  than  that  of  pre- 
serving France  and  employing  every  means  to  prevent  the 
foreigner  from  entering,  even  in  small  numbers.  His 
threats  on  the  frontier  have  led  me  to  declare  them  in 
state  of  siege,  after  taking  the  advice  of  the  civil  and 
miHtary  notables,  who  have  unanimously  decided,  in  as- 
sembly, that  there  was  a  case  of  urgency. 

"  I  am  thus  hedged  in  amidst  parties,  and  in  a  position 
difficult  to  sustain  owing  to  the  divergence  of  opinions. 
Providence  and  their  confidence  will  save  me,  I  hope, 
from  this  pass.  As  to  my  principles,  you  know  them,  my 
friend,  and  you  will  never  compromise  yourself  by  answer- 
ing for  them ;  for  they  are  as  pure  as  the  actions  of  my 
whole  life. 

"Speaking  of  this,  I  have  received  a  curious  letter  from 
General  Loison  :  he  informs  me,  among  other  things,  that 
the  Emperor,  remembering  my  old  and  loyal  services, 
forgets  the  past. 

"Ah!  I  ask  myself  what  the  Emperor  can  have  to 
reproach  me  with  ;  for,  besides  my  whole  conduct  during 
his  reign,  my  constant  fidelity  can  have  left  him  nothing 
to  desire  from  me.  Since  then,  I  am  faithful  to  my  new 
master.  There  is  therefore  no  occasion  to  hint  at  a  pardon 
which,  for  that  matter,  I  would  never  wish  for,  had  I  been 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  303 

for  an  instant  guilty.  My  existence  would  be  a  burden  to 
me  if  it  were  stained  with  one  dishonourable  fault.  On  the 
other  hand,  my  friend,  I  will  never  commit  a  baseness  to 
recover  an  esteem  which  is  due  to  me.  Remember  this ; 
and  should  I  have  to  drag  the  remainder  of  my  life  in 
misery,  I  shall  always  be  Grenadier  Oudinot,  a  title  which 
will  never  cease  to  delight  me. 

"  In  any  case,  my  dear  minister,  write  to  me  and  believe 
that,  whatever  the  events  which  the  future  may  have  in 
store  for  me,  I  shall  know  how  to  die  as  I  have  lived. 

"  Your  old  friend, 

{Signed)    "Marshal  Oudinot." 

We  travelled  all  night  in  the  direction  of  Paris,  where 
the  Marshal  wished  to  go  without  delay  to  explain  his 
position  to  the  Emperor,  and  to  beg  him  to  understand 
it  and  leave  him,  in  good  faith,  to  the  repose  of  his  fields. 
We  had  passed  la  Ferte-sous-Jouarre,  when  we  saw  a 
general  officer,  mounted  on  a  post-nag,  ride  up  to  our 
carriage,  which  pulled  up. 

"Ah,  is  that  you,  Trommelin?"  asked  the  Marshal. 

"  Yes,  monseigneur ;  I  bring  you  a  despatch  from  the 
Imperial  Minister  for  War." 

"  Davout .? " 

"  I  asked  to  be  allowed  to  bring  it." 

"  Is  it  an  order  of  exile  .''  "  asked  the  Marshal, 

"Yes,  and  it  is  that  I  might  explain  the  motive  to  you 
and  put  it  to  you  in  a  less  harsh  light,  that  I  begged  and 
obtained  leave  to  be  the  bearer." 


304  MEMOIRS  OF 

A  shed  stood  by  the  road  side.  "  Let  us  get  down  here," 
said  the  Marshal,  and  in  a  few  moments  we  were  listening 
to  the  comments  of  poor  General  Trommelin,  who  was 
unable  to  make  any  change  in  the  principal  fact,  which 
was  that  an  order  to  withdraw  to  his  estates  had  been 
addressed  to  the  Marshal  in  the  name  of  the  Emperor  by 
the  Minister  for  War. 

Here  is  the  text  of  the  letter  written  by  Davout : 

"  War  Office, 

"Paris,  26  March  1815. 
"  Monsieur  le  marechal, 

"  I  am  commanded  to  express  to  you  the  Emperor's 
dissatisfaction  at  all  that  was  done  at  Metz  to  prevent  the 
inhabitants  from  knowing  what  was  happening  in  France, 
and  to  suppress  the  patriotic  ardour  of  the  people  and  the 
soldiery,  and  also  at  your  permitting  the  Prefect  to  pubhsh 
declarations  of  the  Congress  throughout  the  town. 

"  His   Majesty  desires   that  you   should   retire  to  your 
estates  in  Lorraine  until  new  orders. 
"  I  have  the  honour,  &c., 

{Signed)    "MARSHAL  Prince  d'Eckmuhl, 
"  Minister  for  War." 

"  He  is  very  angry  with  me,  no  doubt  "i "  asked  the 
Marshal. 

"  Yes,  yes,  but  he  will  calm  down." 

"  He  has  anticipated  me,  for  I  was  going  to  tell  him  that 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  305 

I  asked  nothing  of  him,"  repHed  your  father.  "  No  matter  ; 
good-bye,  Trommelin  ;  drive  on." 

The  postilHons  faced  about,  we  took  a  few  hours'  rest  at 
la  Ferte-sous-Jouarre,  and  the  next  day  we  were  at  Jean- 
d'heurs.  As  in  all  the  trials  of  his  life,  my  husband  had 
shown,  during  these  first  moments,  the  most  remarkable 
moral  force  and  correctness  of  judgment ;  but  it  did  not  take 
long  to  see  that  this  new  position  of  a  suspect  to  the  powers 
that  ruled  his  country  would  be  a  difficult  one  for  him  to 
undergo.  Sadness  was  not  familiar  to  him  ;  if  a  few  passing 
clouds  came  and  obscured  his  brow,  he  soon  accepted  dis- 
traction, and  everybody  resumed  his  serenity  when  he  had 
recovered  his.  But  this  time  he  remained  bent  beneath  the 
weight  of  his  preoccupations,  and  this  burden  which  I  bore 
with  him,  without  delivering  him  from  it,  was  very  heavy 
upon  me  too. 

Meanwhile  France  was  in  a  ferment.  The  King,  Mon- 
sieur and  M.  le  Due  de  Berry  had  gone  to  Belgium,  after 
disbanding  their  Military  Households.  M.  le  Due  d'Angou- 
leme  was  valiantly  striving  to  defend  his  cause  in  the 
province  from  which  he  took  his  title.  But  in  the  East 
they  swore  only  by  the  Emperor.  The  majority  had  fallen 
absolutely  under  the  influence  of  the  prestige  attached  to 
his  name  ;  but  our  district,  which  was  entirely  a  military 
one  and  naturally  Imperialist,  did  not  give  a  fair  idea  of 
the  opinion  of  the  mass  of  the  population,  which  caught  a 
new  glimpse  of  a  foreign  war.  The  Congress  of  Vienna 
was  still  sitting.  We  were  represented  at  it  by  M.  le 
Prince  de  Talleyrand  ;  and  surely  he,  the  intermediary  of 


3o6  MEMOIRS  OF 

the  Bourbons  in  1814,  was  not  likely  to  attenuate  the 
demands  of  the  Allies  upon  the  Emperor  in  181 5. 

However,  five  or  six  days  after  the  Marshal's  exile  to 
Jeand'heurs,  M.  Jacqueminot  came  travelling  express.  He 
had  left  Metz  as  the  Marshal's  aide-de-camp,  and  returned 
a  week  later  with  the  appointment  from  the  Emperor  as 
colonel  of  a  regiment  of  Lancers.  Let  us  hasten  to  add, 
however,  that  his  first  thought  in  this  new  situation  had 
carried  him  towards  his  former  chief,  and  that,  knowing 
that  the  Emperor  desired  to  see  him,  he  had  begged  to  be 
allowed  to  carry  the  order  of  recall,  which  for  the  time  he 
regarded  as  a  great  happiness. 

The  Marshal  left  for  Paris,  leaving  me  provisionally  at 
Jeand'heurs  with  his  son  Auguste.  Many  casualties  had 
already  impeded  his  youthful  career.  Destined  to  be  a  page 
of  the  Emperor,  this  plan  was  upset  in  18 14.  In  18 15  he  had 
entered  the  Chevau-Legers,  and  had  just  seen  his  company 
disbanded.  For  the  moment  he  had  no  other  reminder 
of  his  status  than  an  Imperial  order  of  exile  against  ail  that 
composed  the  King's  Household,  which  was  not  to  approach 
within  thirty  leagues  of  Paris. 

My  husband  sent  us  his  news.  A  few  moments  after  his 
arrival  in  the  Rue  de  Bourgogne,  he  received  a  visit  from 
General  Bertrand,  who  had  come  to  fetch  him  from  the 
Emperor.  The  latter,  on  seeing  your  father,  went  up  to  him 
and  said,  in  a  tone  that  was  half  ironical  and  half  severe  : 

"  Well,  Monsieur  le  Due  de  Reggio !  and  what  have  the 
Bourbons  done  more  for  you  than  I,  to  make  you  want  to 
defend  them  so  finely  against  my  approach  ?  " 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT 


307 


The  Marshal's  reply  was  ready  to  hand  ;  he  had  nothing 
to  deny  and  nothing  to  excuse  ;  and  it  was  received  favour- 
ably as  a  request  for  inaction  of  which  the  reason  was  well 
understood. 

"  I  will  serve  no  one,  since  I  shall  not  serve  you,  Sire,"  said 
the  Marshal.  "  I  shall  remain  in  my  retirement ;  but  pray 
have  sufficient  confidence  in  me  not  to  have  me  spied  on  by 
your  police.     I  could  not  endure  that." 

With  this  the  interview  ended.  A  few  days  later  the 
Marshal  dined  with  the  Emperor,  but  they  did  not  see  each 
other  again  alone. 

Meantime  everything  was  assuming  a  fierce  aspect,  and 
even  in  our  peaceful  valley  of  the  Saulx  the  population 
were  becoming  both  suspicious  and  hostile.  I  besought  the 
Marshal  to  let  Auguste  and  me  come  to  him  ;  he  consented, 
and  after  taking  some  measures  of  safety  for  our  houses  at 
Bar  and  Jeand'heurs,  we  set  out  for  Paris.  The  excitement 
was  great  all  along  our  road,  which  was  covered  with  the 
extraordinary  levies  which  the  Emperor  was  urging  on.  I 
dared  not  face  that  movement  at  night,  nor  was  I  much 
easier  in  my  room  at  an  inn.  The  appearance  of  Paris  did 
not  tend  to  calm  me.  The  federals  from  the  suburbs  had 
been  reviewed  that  morning  by  the  Emperor,  and  this  had 
increased  the  general  ferment. 

We  found  the  Marshal  in  company  with  Victor,  who  had 
been  replaced  in  command  of  the  ist  Hussars.  Thus  my 
husband  and  his  two  sons  found  themselves  in  a  state  of 
forced  inaction  at  a  time  when  all  were  under  arms ! 
For   men    of  their   temperament   this  was  a  bitter  trial. 


3o8  MEMOIRS  OF 

And  then  what  divisions  in  parties  and  even  families ! 
General  Comte  Pajol  had  embraced  the  side  of  tlie  Empire. 
General  Comte  de  Lorencez  had  remained  faithful  to  the 
Restoration,  like  the  Marshal  and  his  sons. 

We  decided  to  hire  a  small  place  in  the  valley  of  Mont- 
morency. We  had  need  of  air  and  silence  ;  these  prepara- 
tions, these  rumours  of  war,  of  a  war  threatening  our  native 
soil,  which  seemed  on  the  other  side  to  be  destined  to  be 
torn  by  civil  war  in  the  West,  were  more  than  the  three 
Oudinots  could  endure.  The  present  was  almost  insupport- 
able, and  the  future  offered  no  probable  compensation. 
In  spite  of  the  reforms  in  our  household,  the  sale  of  our 
carriages,  part  of  my  diamonds,  and  so  on,  we  had  hardly 
enough  to  suffice  for  the  needs  of  the  moment. 

We  went  about  almost  the  whole  day,  mostly  on  foot, 
sometimes  on  donkeys.  This  mode  of  locomotion  was  a 
novelty  for  the  Marshal,  and  sometimes  provoked  a  smile 
from  him.  It  was  cherry-time  ;  and  we  often  went  and 
robbed  the  fine  trees  of  the  valley,  although  never  omitting 
to  pay  for  our  depredations.  We  were  all  young,  and  this 
life  possessed  a  charm  for  all  of  us  during  the  first  few  days. 

Meantime  the  Emperor  had  set  out  to  take  command 
of  the  army  which  he  had  so  promptly  organized.  The 
first  blow  was  to  be  struck  in  Belgium ;  and  so  soon  as 
we  were  able  to  calculate  that  the  time  for  this  blow 
had  come,  our  anxiety  resumed  the  upper  hand.  We 
eagerly  awaited  the  news  of  the  fighting.  This  was  at 
first  favourable,  having  reference  to  the  engagement  at 
Fleurus.     Two  days  passed  by,  and  on  the  third,  as  we  were 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  309 

sitting  down  to  breakfast,  wc  saw  first  M.  de  Bourcet  and 
then  M.  du  Plessy  come  up,  who  told  us  in  a  few  words 
the  story  of  Waterloo  ! 

The  terrible  consequences  of  this  event  at  once  presented 
themselves  to  the  Marshal,  who,  without  yet  making  up  his 
mind  as  to  what  he  should  do,  set  out  immediately  for 
Paris  with  his  two  sons  and  his  officers,  leaving  to  me  the 
care  of  settling  our  accounts  and  moving.  It  was  night 
when  I  returned  to  Paris,  a  night  in  June.  Nothing  seemed 
to  augment  the  usual  movement  of  the  town  at  this  season, 
and  I  learnt  on  my  arrival  in  the  Rue  de  Bourgogne  that 
the  excitement  had  centred  round  the  Chamber  of  Deputies, 
which  had  declared  its  sitting  permanent.  I  also  learnt 
that  the  Emperor  had  arrived  not  at  the  Tuileries  but  at 
the  Elysee-Bourbon  ;  that  he  was  talking  of  a  new  abdica- 
tion, but  this  time  in  favour  of  the  King  of  Rome,  asking 
for  himself  the  command  as  General-in-Chief  of  the  rem- 
nants of  the  army  which  would  have  to  be  opposed  with- 
out delay  to  the  victorious  enemy  advancing  upon 
Paris. 

The  Emperor  cannot  have  long  retained  his  illusions  on 
the  chances  of  power  which  remained  to  him  ;  because  in 
1 81 5  it  was  much  less  the  wish  of  the  nation  than  of  the 
army  that  had  brought  him  back  from  Elba. 

During  the  days  of  excitement  which  preceded  the  return 
of  the  King,  the  Marshal  had  sent  Victor  to  Belgium.  His 
errand  was  to  learn  from  the  King  if  the  proposal  made  in 
the  Chamber  of  Deputies  to  give  Marshal  Oudinot  the 
command  of  the  National  Guard  of  the  Seine  was  agree- 


3IO  MEMOIRS  OF 

able  to  His  Majesty.  This  proposal  was  accepted,  but 
it  was  not  put  into  execution  until  October.  It  was 
these  wise  and  devoted  troops  which  alone  maintained 
order  and  dignity  in  Paris  during  the  influx  of  the  invading 
armies.  It  had  much  to  do,  notably  at  the  Clichy  barriers, 
which  the  more  zealous  among  the  Royalists  desired  to 
force  in  order  to  go  to  Saint-Denis  during  the  King's  stay 
there,  a  stay  devoted  to  treating  peacefully,  if  possible. 
Auguste,  in  his  capacity  as  a  Chevau-Leger,  had  succeeded, 
with  some  difficulty,  in  reaching  Saint-Denis  and  presenting 
himself  to  the  King.  With  my  husband's  consent  I  took 
the  same  step,  together  with  the  Marquise  du  Roure,  and 
soon  Louis  XVIII.  received  us  with  truly  paternal  affability. 
All  his  circle  welcomed  me  with  the  greatest  kindness. 
The  Marshal  had  paid  his  visit  to  Saint-Denis  earlier. 
The  King  had  awarded  him  the  most  flattering  reception  ; 
and  this  was  only  justice. 

The  8th  of  July  was  fixed  for  the  King's  fresh  entry  into 
Paris.  At  noon,  the  Marshal  in  uniform,  followed  by  his 
aides-de-camp,  set  out  on  horseback  from  the  Rue  de 
Bourgogne  for  Saint-Denis.  During  the  long  drive,  there 
reigned  a  sort  of  gloomy  tranquillity  which  gave  food  for 
reflection  at  the  moment  of  a  significant  event,  occurring  in 
Paris,  always  so  full  of  life.  The  Marshal  has  since  told 
me  that  he  was  not  free  from  anxiety  respecting  the  march 
of  the  procession.  When  the  King  appeared,  all  were  able 
to  see  that  he  showed  himself  calm  and  smiling  as  in  the 
past.     In  the  evening  there  were  public  fetes. 

The  Emperor  had  retired  to  Malmaison,  where  he  lived 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  311 

disarmed  and  powerless,  from  the  force  of  things.  How 
great  must  his  moral  sufferings  have  been  !  But  it  must 
be  admitted  that  at  this  moment  of  reaction,  when  all 
personal  interests  were  at  stake,  the  general  attention  was 
for  a  while  turned  away  from  him.  His  departure,  his 
journey,  and  even  his  embarkation  upon  the  English  ship, 
the  Bel/erophon,  did  not  at  first  attract  public  attention.  It 
was  not  until  later,  when  people  had  heard  of  his  magni- 
ficent letter  to  the  British  Government,  and  had  seen  the 
manner  in  which  that  government  had  abused  the  con- 
fidence placed  in  them  by  a  disarmed  enemy,  that  the  re- 
membrance of  many  and  the  sympathy  of  some  returned 
to  the  illustrious  exile. 

The  Allies  entered  Paris  shortly  after  the  King,  and  laid 
hands  upon  the  military  command  of  the  place  as  in  time  of 
war.  I  have  seen  a  bivouac  of  Prussians  in  the  Carrousel ; 
I  have  seen  the  English  in  the  Champs-Elysees  and  in  the 
Bois  de  Boulogne,  which  was  in  part  destroyed  to  keep 
up  their  bivouac  fires.  There  was  not  a  French  uniform 
to  be  seen  in  Paris.  The  National  Guard  alone  did  duty, 
conjointly  with  the  foreign  troops. 

The  Marshal  resumed  his  place  as  Minister  of  State,  and 
his  office  continued  to  be  besieged  every  morning  by  those 
who  were  occupied  with  him  in  the  interests  of  govern- 
ment and  those  who  came  to  him  with  requests  or 
complaints.  My  mother,  who  had  joined  us  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  second  invasion,  had  since  settled  at 
Versailles  with  the  Gueriviere  children. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  the  Chamber  of  Deputies  was 


312  MEMOIRS  OF 

revived.  Your  father  was  appointed  chairman  of  the 
electoral  college  of  the  Meuse.  What  sometimes  gave  us 
great  sorrow,  in  the  midst  of  our  personal  satisfaction, 
was  the  state  of  minds,  which  seemed  to  grow  excited 
rather  than  calmer  since  the  restoration  of  the  Royal 
Government  I  doubt  whether  the  unhappy  Colonel  de 
la  Bedoyere  was  paler  than  I  was,  when  I  heard  of  his 
condemnation.  I  knew  that  he  left  behind  him  a  young 
•wife  whom  he  adored,  a  child  in  the  cradle,  and  a  family 
in  despair.  I  learnt  later  that,  when  he  reached  the  place 
of  execution,  he  gave  the  order  to  fire,  and  ordered  them 
to  aim  at  his  heart,  on  which  spot  was  later  found  the 
shattered  portrait  of  his  wife. 

On  his  return  from  the  elections,  the  Marshal  resumed 
his  busy  life  in  Paris.  He  endeavoured  to  bring  his 
influence  to  bear  upon  the  Princes  in  favour  of  clemency  ; 
he  always  found  an  echo  in  their  hearts,  but  too  many 
diverse  elements  mingled  in  the  government  for  the 
Marshal's  work  always  to  bear  fruit.  No  one  has  ever 
known  or  ever  will  know  all  that  your  father  has  said, 
particularly  in  favour  of  the  army  ;  but  God  knows  it,  and 
that  is  a  great  consolation.  It  was  with  profound  sorrow 
that  he  saw  the  lists  of  proscriptions  following  upon  one 
another. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  summer,  the  armies  of  the 
Allies  were  removed  from  Paris  and  ordered  to  different 
parts  of  the  country.  In  this  distribution,  our  poor 
Lorraine  was  not  spared.  It  bore  this  enormous  charge 
for  about  three  years.     Each  day  the  Allies  gave  fresh 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  313 

proofs  of  their  ill-will.  They  despoiled  our  museums  ;  they 
sought  means  to  destroy  the  monuments  which  com- 
memorated our  victories  over  them.  One  day,  among 
others,  I  saw  the  Marshal  return  from  the  Council  in  a 
state  of  great  excitement.  I  do  not  know  what  fly  more 
spiteful  than  usual  had  bitten  the  ferocious  Bliicher,  who 
was  commanding-in-chief  in  Paris ;  but  the  King  was 
suddenly  interrupted  in  the  midst  of  his  work,  and  told 
that  the  Prussian  general  was  preparing  on  his  own 
authority  to  blow  up  the  Pont  d'lena. 

"Go  and  tell  him,"  replied  Louis  XVIII.,  "that  I  only 
beg  him  to  give  me  time  to  come  and  place  myself  upon 
that  monument  before  he  destroys  it." 

The  bridge  was  respected, 

A  second  visit  which  the  Czar  Alexander  paid  us 
enabled  us  to  judge  that,  although  he  had  had  reserved 
the  same  feelings  for  the  Marshal  as  in  the  preceding 
year,  he  looked  at  France  in  a  very  different  liglit.  Oh, 
how  cold  he  had  grown  concerning  the  interests  of  our 
poor  country !  And  yet  it  was  to  him  that  the  country 
was  indebted  in  that  it  was  not  still  worse  treated  and 
even  perhaps  divided.  .  .  .  He  had  not  announced  his 
visit  this  time,  and  he  found  the.  Marshal  and  me  alone. 
It  was  during  this  intimate  and  unconstrained  interview 
that  he  impressed  us  with  the  opinions  which  I  ha\'e 
uttered  above. 

About  the  middle  of  October,  there  called  upon  us,  in 
the  Rue  de  Bourgogne,  M.  de  Vaublanc,  the  former 
Prefect  of  Metz,  who  had  since  become  [Minister  of  the 


314  MEMOIRS  OF 

Interior.  After  a  short  conversation  in  the  drawing-room, 
he  asked  to  speak  to  the  Marshal  alone  in  his  study.  He 
entered  and  came  out  again  without  laying  aside  a  certain 
solemnity  of  which  I  soon  possessed  the  enigma.  The 
Minister  had  come  in  the  King's  name  to  offer  your  father 
the  command-in-chief  of  the  National  Guard  of  Paris  and 
the  surrounding  districts.  Your  father  hesitated  ;  the  post 
did  not  seem  to  agree  with  his  tastes  and  habits  ;  and  yet 
the  position  was  a  splendid  one. 

In  the  end,  and  after  much  urging  on  the  part  of  the 
King,  the  ministers  and  his  own  friends,  the  Marshal 
yielded,  and  towards  the  end  of  October  we  bade  good- 
bye for  ever  to  our  dear  little  house  in  the  Rue  de 
Bourgogne,  in  order  to  instal  ourselves  in  the  staff-offices 
of  the  National  Guard,  in  the  Rue  Grange-Bateliere,  which 
had  formerly  been  the  town-house  of  the  Due  de  Choiseul, 
Louis  XV.'s  minister.  It  was  a  vast  and  superbly  furnished 
mansion.  A  numerous  establishment,  kept  up  like  all  the 
rest  at  the  expense  of  the  city  of  Paris,  filled  the  entrance- 
halls  (there  were  two  entrances)  in  their  capacity  as  con- 
cierges, ushers,  office-messengers,  and  so  on,  while  the 
drawing-rooms  were  made  brilliant  by  a  numerous  staff, 
which  was  always  on  service  by  turns.  Guard-posts  en- 
livened the  court-yards  by  day  and  night.  One  of  these 
posts  was  for  the  principal  entrance,  the  other  for  the  Rue 
le  Pelletier.  They  communicated,  for  the  performance  of 
the  service  both  by  day  and  night,  by  an  underground 
passage  which  ran  beneath  my  private  apartments.  There 
was  a  perpetual  movement. 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  315 

All  who  were  able  to  rally  usefully  to  the  exclusive 
service  of  the  National  Guard  had  hastened  to  us.  The 
Marshal  numbered  on  his  staff,  and  among  the  aides-de- 
camp wearing  this  uniform,  celebrated  names  of  every 
kind.  Those  of  the  Faubourg  Saint-Germain  constituted 
the  majority.  Among  the  twelve  legions  of  infantry  were 
several  commanded  by  a  Montmorency,  a  La  Roche- 
foucauld, and  so  on.  The  cavalry  had  at  its  head  the 
proud  and  noble  Due  de  Fitz-James,  one  of  the  King's  most 
devoted  and  enlightened  servants.  He  had  under  his 
orders  such  names  as  Caumont,  Boisgelin,  and  kindred 
families. 

So  soon  as  we  were  installed,  the  Marshal  issued  a  per- 
manent invitation  to  his  table  for  breakfast  and  dinner 
to  the  officers  in  command  of  the  guard-posts,  and  this 
independently  of  the  aides-de-camp  and  so  forth.  Eleven 
years  were  spent  by  me  in  this  company  ;  and  this  is  not 
said  by  way  of  complaint,  because,  apart  from  the  good 
worked  by  this  incessant  fusion,  I  thus  met  at  my  table  a 
vast  number  of  personalities  whom  it  was  interesting  to 
know.  Magistrates,  financiers,  artists,  authors,  poets,  cele- 
brated actors,  all  Paris  of  that  time  passed  in  review  before 
my  eyes;  and  as  on  the  whole  I  had  never  been  accustomed 
to  domestic  tete-a-tctcs,  this  overflow  of  guests,  of  which 
the  Marshal  seemed  never  to  weary,  inconvenienced  me 
in  no  way. 

There  was  much  question  of  establishing  a  Royal  Guard. 
The  first  elements  were  to  be  taken  from  the  brave  old 
remnants  which  had  been  so  disastrously  exiled  behind 


3i6  MEMOIRS  OF 

the  Loire  at  the  commencement  of  the  first  Restoration. 
The  Marshal  was  to  receive  one  of  the  four  commands 
which  it  was  proposed  to  create,  and  which  were  to  succeed 
each  other  every  quarter,  of  these  picked  troops.  The 
holders  were  soon  appointed  :  they  were  Marshals  Oudinot, 
Macdonald,  Victor  and  Marmont. 

But  while  the  government  very  properly  tried  to  reor- 
ganize itself  on  a  strong  footing,  very  regrettable  facts 
continued  to  take  place  and  to  be  foreshadowed.  No  day 
passed  without  its  political  trial !  I  went  to  bed  one  night 
heart-broken  at  the  sentence  of  death  passed  upon  the 
Comte  de  La  Valette,  who  was  to  be  guillotined  the  next 
day  upon  the  Place  de  Greve  for  having  actively  worked 
against  the  Restoration  and  delivered  State  secrets  to  the 
Elban  conspirators.  I  did  not  know  him  at  all,  but  I 
thought  of  his  wife  and  children.  How  great  was  my  relief 
when  I  learnt  in  the  morning  that  he  had  made  good 
his  escape ! 

We  were  less  fortunate  in  the  matter  of  Marshal  Ney, 
that  ever  deplorable  affair.  I  have  told  you  of  the  letter 
which  he  wrote  to  the  Marshal,  on  the  eve  of  his  defection. 
Though  the  terms  in  which  it  was  couched  proved  his 
fickleness,  they  justified  him  at  least  against  any  charge 
of  premeditation.  Full  of  confidence  in  the  usefulness  of 
this  document  for  the  purposes  of  the  trial,  my  husband 
had  hastened  to  hand  it  to  the  marechale,  and  heartily 
congratulated  himself  upon  in  this  way  becoming  a  witness 
for  the  defence  of  his  unfortunate  companion-in-arms.  The 
length  of  the  trial  was  an  agony  to  the  Marshal.     The  last 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  317 

of  these  unhappy  days  arrived  and  passed  without  any 
news  coming  from  the  Luxembourg  ;  the  verdict  was  not 
pronounced  until  night :  a  sleepless  night,  alas  !  We  still 
hoped  in  the  Royal  clemency  ;  but  before  daybreak,  Victor 
came  to  share  his  grief  with  us  and  to  tell  us  that  all  would 
soon  be  over,  and  that  the  marshal  was  to  be  shot  on  the 
Place  de  I'Observatoire. 

It  seems  hardly  credible,  my  children!  But  among  a 
large  number  of  well-intentioned  people,  who  had  till  then 
been  always  humane  and  kind,  there  had  arisen  a  fatal 
agreement  to  do  violence  to  the  King's  inclinations  and  to 
persuade  him  that  his  Crown  depended  upon  his  showing 
no  mercy  this  time  .  .  .  And  yet  an  act  of  clemency 
would  hav^e  been  the  most  politic  act  of  this  renewal  of 
the  reign,  and  in  my  family  we  did  not  wait  for  long 
years  to  pass  before  taking  this  view. 

I  wish  I  could  wipe  out  from  my  memory  the  remarks  I 
heard  uttered,  both  on  this  event,  the  most  notable  of  all, 
and  on  many  others  that  occurred  about  this  time. 
Women,  women  especially,  who  took  so  great  a  part,  un- 
fortunately, in  the  politics  of  the  time,  often  uttered  fero- 
cious phrases.  These  roused  my  indignation  and  pained 
me  to  the  core  ;  and  it  was  from  this  period  that  dated  my 
horror  of  all  party  spirit. 

The  King  had  promised  the  Marshal  to  be  the  god-father 
of  the  child  we  were  expecting.  The  Due  de  Choiseul, 
who  was  then  Chief  of  Staff  of  the  National  Guard  of  the 
Seine,  under  my  husband's  orders,  on  learning  this  news, 
said  to  me,  as  he  \yas  dining  with  me  one  day : 


3i8  MEMOIRS  OF 

"  That  is  excellent,  madame  :  but  you  should  have  the 
whole  city  of  Paris  for  god-mother,  that  is  clear.  Do  not 
laugh,  madame  la  duchesse  ;  it  would  be  both  becoming 
and  charming." 

This  led  to  no  result,  however,  and  the  choice  which  the 
King  made  of  Mme.  la  Duchesse  d'Angouleme  for  god- 
mother left  me  no  cause  for  regret.  The  baptism  of 
Louise  was  celebrated  in  the  chapel  of  the  Tuileries,  where 
her  Royal  god-father,  Louis  XVI I L,  and  her  saintly  god- 
mother, Mme.  la  Duchesse  d'Angouleme,  attended  in 
person.  The  administration  of  the  sacrament  was  en- 
trusted to  the  Grand  Almoner  of  France,  His  Eminence 
Cardinal  de  Talleyrand-Perigord. 

The  Due  de  Choiseul  was  succeeded  as  Chief  of  Staff  by 
the  Due  de  Mortemart,  a  brave  and  worthy  friend,  whose 
noble  heart  beat  with  all  the  honour  which  befitted  his 
lofty  birth.  He  became  closely  attached,  in  thought  and 
friendship,  to  the  Marshal,  for  whom  he  always  kept  up, 
and  still  keeps  up,  a  real  cult. 

Meanwhile,  the  projected  Royal  Guard  came  to  be 
realized.  It  was  decided  during  the  winter  that  the  King 
should  hold  a  review  in  the  Carrousel  and  in  the  court-yard 
of  the  Tuileries,  and  it  was  considered  that  the  National 
Guard,  which  had  till  then  executed  the  service  of  Paris 
since  the  final  occupation  by  the  enemy,  ought  also  to 
receive  from  the  Sovereign,  on  the  same  day,  a  mark  of 
gratitude  and  remembrance. 

We  reached  the  end  of  March.  I  had  gone  one  evening 
to  my  husband's  study  and,  alone  with  him,  I  was  enjoying 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  319 

one  of  those  opportunities  for  unrestrained  conversation 
which  were  so  precious  to  both  of  us,  and  which  the 
multitude  of  our  occupations  caused  to  become  so  rare. 
Suddenly  the  door  was  opened  by  two  of  our  intimates, 
the  Due  de  Fitz-James  and  the  Comte  de  la  Ferronnays. 
The  latter,  so  soon  as  he  entered,  took  my  husband  by  his 
arm  and  led  him  to  his  room,  while  the  other,  sitting  down 
by  my  side  before  the  fire,  began  to  jest  on  all  sorts  of 
subjects,  as  was  usual  with  him.  I  was  laughing  heartily 
when  the  others  returned. 

"You  will  never  guess,"  said  my  husband,  "what  M.  de 
la  Ferronnays  has  just  come  and  proposed  for  you." 

"All  that  comes  from  him  must  be  good  to  accept,"  I 
replied,  without  being  in  the  least  able  to  guess  what 
they  wanted  of  me. 

"  Tell  her  all,"  said  M.  de  la  Ferronnays. 

Thereupon  they  both  went  away. 

"Well,"  said  my  husband,  "  M.  le  Due  de  Berry,  who 
is  to  marry  a  princess  of  Naples,  seventeen  years  of  age, 
offers  you  the  post  of  Mistress  of  the  Robes." 

I  was  taken  aback,  and  wept. 

"But  reflect,"  said  the  Marshal,  "that  at  your  age  it  is  a 
fine  thing,  it  is  an  exceptional  thing,  to  receive  such  a  mark 
of  confidence  and  esteem." 

"  What  more  have  I  to  wish  for,  to  satisfy  all  my  pride, 
than  to  be  your  wife?"  I  cried.  "I  confess  I  look  with 
dread  at  the  idea  of  our  freedom  being  fettered,  our  home 
abandoned.  I  see  before  me  a  gilded  slavery,  but  a  slavery 
nevertheless.     However,  my  friend,  does  it  suit  you  ? " 


320  MEMOIRS  OF 

"  Impossible  to  refuse,"  said  my  husband. 

I  accepted,  therefore,  since  I  had  to.  The  Marshal 
wished  me  to  go  at  once  and  thank  the  King. 

"  I  have  approved  this  appointment,"  said  His  Majesty, 
"  but  it  was  not  I  who  made  it ;  my  nephew  selected  his 
bride's  Household  himself.  It  is  a  great  business  to  be  a 
Mistress  of  the  Robes,"  he  continued. 

I  looked  at  the  King ;  he  had  an  air  of  being  so  pene- 
trated with  the  importance  of  my  functions  that  he  set  the 
climax  to  my  flutter.  It  was  in  this  condition  that  I  went 
downstairs  to  M.  le  Due  de  Berry.  He  thanked  me 
effusively  for  accepting.  His  expressions  were  filled  with 
gratitude  and  were  almost  respectful.  I  asked  him  when 
he  expected  the  Princess. 

"Alas!"  he  said,  "I  have  only  two  months  more  of 
liberty." 

I  looked  at  him  in  surprise. 

"  Do  not  be  astonished  at  my  melancholy,  madame  la 
duchesse,"  he  said.  "  I  am  only  marrying  from  a  sense 
of  obligation  ;  I  only  know  my  betrothed  by  a  portrait 
which  makes  her  look  very  ugly.  No  matter,  the  die  is 
cast,  and  the  dear  child  shall  never  know  what  it  costs  me 
to  submit  to  the  yoke." 

I  had  to  receive  the  successive  visits  of  the  persons  who 
composed  with  me  the  young  Princess's  Household.  Here 
is  the  list,  in  hierarchical  order.  I  am  bound  to  place  my- 
self first : 

Mistress  of  the  Robes,  the  Marechale  Duchesse  de 
Reggio  ;    First    Lady  of  the    Bedchamber,  the  Comtesse 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  321 

de  la  Ferronays  ;  six  ladies-in-waiting :  the  Vicomtesse 
de  Gontaut-Biron,  the  Comtesse  Francois  de  Bouille  ; 
the  Marquise  de  Bethisy ;  the  Comtesse  d'Hautcfort  ; 
the  Marquise  de  Gourgues  ;    the  Comtesse  de   Lauriston. 

Then  came  the  gentlemen  : 

The  Due  de  Levis  (author  of  the  Maxinies,  &c.),  First 
Lord-in-Waiting  ;  the  Comte  de  Mesnard,  First  Groom  ; 
the  Marquis  de  Sassenay,  private  secretary. 

First  Bedchamber-Woman,  Mme.  de  Wathaire.  I  will 
not  mention  the  names  of  the  bedchamber-women-in- 
ordinary,  nor  of  the  rest  of  the  establishment  of  the  third 
class. 

In  accordance  with  the  ceremonial  which  was  adopted  at 
the  time  of  the  marriage  of  Mme.  la  Duchesse  de  Bour- 
gogne,  the  general  impulse  was  supposed  to  be  given  to 
the  Princess's  Household  by  the  Mistress  of  the  Robes, 
the  responsible  editor,  as  it  were,  of  all  public  cere- 
monial. This  is  what  the  King  had  wished  to  convey 
to  me  when  he  looked  me  between  the  eyes  on  the  occasion 
of  my  recent  audience  and  said,  "  It  is  a  great  business  to 
be  a  Mistress  of  the  Robes."  Soon  after,  the  Marquis  de 
Dreux-Breze,  Grand  Master  of  the  Ceremonies,  sent  mc  a 
long  chart  containing  my  instructions,  drawn  up  by  him- 
self, and  confirming  the  extent  and  the  multiplicity  of  details 
of  my  task.  To  my  great  regret,  I  have  been  quite  unable 
to  find  this  very  curious  official  document,  from  which,  on 
my  own  responsibility,  I  struck  out  a  number  of  super- 
annuated items,  which  it  would  have  been  worse  than 
useless  to  keep  up  in  our  day  ;  but  there  remained  quite 


322  MEMOIRS  OF 

enough  to  keep  me  occupied  in  the  essential  part,  of  which 
I  omitted  nothing. 

I  was  recommended,  and  I  thought  it  in  good  taste,  to 
go  and  visit  Mme.  la  Duchesse  de  Duras,  who  had  been 
Mistress  of  the  Robes  to  Queen  Marie  Leczinska.  Her 
great  age  kept  her  away  from  society.  She  received  me 
very  well.  Very  tall,  and  wearing  a  great  black  head- 
dress, she  cast  upon  me  a  not  unkindly,  but  very  searching 
glance.  She  gave  me  many  hints  on  the  powers  and 
attributes  of  a  mistress  of  the  robes,  things  which  have 
since  been  modified  by  time  ;  as  did  also  Mme.  la 
Duchesse  de  Vauguyon,  who  had  been  attached  to  the 
service  of  Madame   Elisabeth. 

The  young  Princess  was  married  by  procuration  at 
Naples,  her  paternal  uncle,  the  Prince  of  Salerno,  repre- 
senting the  bridegroom  ;  and  the  time  was  drawing  near 
for  her  departure  for  Marseilles,  where  we  were  to  arrive  in 
time  for  her  landing  and  for  what  was  known  as  the  remise, 
that  is  to  say  the  handing  over  of  the  Princess  by  the 
Neapolitan  Ambassador  to  the  French  Ambassador,  who 
would  fulfil  his  mission  at  our  head. 

A  number  of  the  Household  were  sent  on  in  advance  : 
Mmes.  de  la  Ferronays,  de  Gontaut  and  de  Bouille  ;  Messrs 
de  Levis  and  de  Mesnard  ;  two  officers  of  the  Gardes  du 
Corps ;  a  master  of  the  ceremonies ;  an  almoner.  All 
these  were  to  wait  indefinitely  at  Marseilles.  They  came 
to  take  leave  of  me  before  starting.  I  also  had  orders  to 
give  to  all  the  waiting-women  who  followed  each  other  in 
my  apartments,  which  were  crowded  with  a  multitude  of 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  323 

tradespeople,  who  brought  me  articles  of  the  toilet  with 
which  I  was  obliged  to  supply  myself  in  order  that  every- 
thing might  be  ready  when,  at  the  last  moment,  I  too 
should  have  to  set  out. 

For  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  was  about  to  under- 
take, far  from  my  husband  and  without  his  assistance 
or  advice,  an  entirely  new  life,  one  depending  upon  my 
sheer  initiative,  and  strewn  with  pit-falls.  I  was  about  to 
endeavour  to  subject  to  my  will,  to  my  advice,  an  un- 
known personality,  who  on  her  side  would  perhaps  dis- 
play certain  caprices  to  which  I  should  be  unable  to 
yield  ;  and  it  was  to  these  possibilities  that  I  was  sacri- 
ficing my  domestic  joys,  which  had  been  so  greatly 
increased  a  few  weeks  ago  by  the  birth  of  my  youngest 
child!  But  it  was  inevitable;  and  on  the  iith  of  May 
1 8 16,  my  husband  put  mc  into  my  carriage.  I  was  all 
in  tears.  With  me  was  good  Mme.  Cossa,  my  new  maid  ; 
two  of  our  domestics  rode  on  the  box,  and  in  front  of  the 
carriage  rode  a  courier  in  the  Royal  livery,  to  order  post- 
horses.  I  was  too  nervous,  and  still  too  weak  after  my 
confinement,  to  be  able  to  travel  at  night. 

I  was  compelled  therefore  to  sleep  at  an  hotel  each 
night ;  but  this  was  my  only  delay,  with  the  exception  ot 
an  excursion  which  I  made  at  Vaucluse,  whence  I  drove 
with  the  Prefect,  the  Comte  de  Saint-Chamans,  and  his 
sister,  the  Comtesse  de  Lambertye,  to  visit  the  Castle  of 
the  Popes  at  Avignon.  Nevertheles.s,  to  my  great  regret 
and  annoyance,  this  was  sufficient  to  make  me  late  at  my 
journey's  end.     I  had  just  passed  Aix  when  I  saw  dashing 


324 


MEMOIRS  OF 


up  a  courier  all  covered  with  white  ribands.  He  was 
smacking  his  whip,  and  seemed  bathed  in  perspiration. 
He  stopped  before  my  carriage  and  told  me  that  he  had 
come  to  announce  the  landing  of  Mme.  la  Duchesse  de 
Berry,  who  had  come  into  port  safely,  and  had  been 
received  at  the  Lazaretto.  Full  of  disappointment,  I 
hastened  on  at  full  speed  to  Marseilles.  M.  le  Comte  de 
Villeneuve,  the  eldest  of  the  five  brothers  bearing  the 
name,  came  to  receive  me  and  to  show  me  to  the  room 
which  was  prepared  for  me.  It  was  adjacent  to  that 
which  the  Princess  was  to  occupy  on  her  arrival  at  the 
Prefect's.      He  confirmed  what  the  courier  had  told  me. 

"We  received  Her  Royal  Highness,"  he  added,  "as 
nearly  as  the  inexorable  rules  of  quarantine  would  permit. 
Our  boats  rowed  out  to  the  frigate  in  vvhich  she  made  the 
voyage,  and  escorted  her  to  the  foot  of  the  Lazaretto  stairs. 
She  took  up  her  abode  there  with  none  but  her  Neapolitan 
suite,  with  the  sole  exception  of  Mme.  la  Comtesse  de  la 
Ferronnays,  who  has  been  locked  up  with  her." 

"But,"  I  asked,  "cannot  I  also  be  admitted  into  the 
Lazaretto  .'' " 

"  It  is  too  late,  madame,"  replied  the  Prefect ;  "  you 
would  be  obliged  to  remain  twenty-four  hours  after  the 
others  had  gone,  since  the  rule  is  that  every  one  must 
complete  the  prescribed  ten  days." 

I  must  needs  wait ;  and  the  next  morning  I  sent  in  my 
name  to  the  young  Princess,  who  soon  appeared  behind  the 
grating  which  separated  the  two  rooms  in  which  we  were. 
We  were  each  of  us  watched  by  warders  belonging  to  the 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  325 

Lazaretto  service.  Their  sombre  faces  and  gloomy  cos- 
tumes reminded  me  of  the  pictures  of  the  plague  of  1720 
and  1 72 1.  This  recollection  contrasted  strangely  with  the 
joyful  mission  which  I  had  to  fulfil  ;  but  soon  recovering 
myself,  I  was  about  to  place  in  the  hands  of  the  young 
bride,  who  seemed  to  me  charmingly  white  and  pink,  the 
letters  which  the  French  Royal  Family  had  given  me  for 
her,  when  I  was  suddenly  stopped  by  one  of  the  severe 
guardians  of  whom  I  have  spoken,  and  obliged  to  deposit 
my  despatches  upon  a  table  on  the  other  side  of  the  grating, 
where  the  Princess  came  and  took  them.  This  was  to  avoid 
any  personal  contact  between  her  and  me. 

Mme.  la  Duchesse  de  Berry  was  not  pretty,  but  there 
was  an  air  of  extreme  youth  about  her  whole  person  which 
disposed  one  in  her  favour.  She  was  only  seventeen,  and 
did  not  look  more  than  fifteen.  This  explained,  in  the 
eyes  of  the  French  population  which  she  had  to  pass 
through,  the  timid  silence  with  which  she  accepted  the 
harangues  and  demonstration  with  which  she  was  received 
along  the  journey  from  Marseilles  to  Paris. 

We  arranged  for  my  daily  visits  to  the  Lazaretto,  and 
the  time  which  was  left  to  me  at  the  Prefect's  was  devoted 
to  the  thousand  preliminaries  connected  with  my  duties. 
At  last  the  day  came  for  the  remise.  Clad  in  a  rich  court- 
dress,  followed  by  Mmes.  de  Gontaut  and  de  liouillc, 
preceded  by  the  Due  d'Havr6,  the  King  of  France's 
Ambassador,  the  Due  de  Levis,  the  Comte  de  Mesnard, 
the  Marquis  de  Rochefort,  &c.,  I  set  out  in  a  gala-carriage 
to  drive  from  the  Prefect's  to  the  II6tel-de-Villc,  while  the 


326  MEMOIRS  OF 

Princess,  her  Neapolitan  suite  and  the  Ambassador  of  the 
King  her  grandfather  arrived  from  the  Lazaretto  by  sea. 
The  population  of  Marseilles,  in  its  enthusiasm,  had  divided 
itself  into  two  to  welcome  the  Royal  bride.  Part  followed 
her  progress  in  boats,  the  other  crowded  the  approaches  to 
the  Hotel-de-Ville  and  the  streets  through  which  the  pro- 
cession would  have  to  pass. 

Installed  in  its  place  at  the  appointed  time,  in  the  prin- 
cipal hall  of  the  Hotel-de-Ville,  the  French  Court,  with  the 
Ambassador  at  its  head,  silently  awaited  the  entrance  of 
the  Neapolitan  Court.  In  the  middle  of  the  hall  stood  an 
enormous  table,  destined  to  hold  the  documents  which 
were  to  be  signed  by  the  two  diplomatists.  As  I  have 
said,  the  ceremonial  was  based  upon  that  which  was  fol- 
lowed at  the  wedding  of  the  Duchesse  de  Bourgogne.  It 
was  therefore  a  sort  of  unrehearsed  performance  which  was 
not  without  its  terrors  for  the  boldest  of  us. 

At  last  the  folding-doors  opposite  us  opened  wide,  and 
admitted  the  Prince  de  Scylla,  who  accompanied  his  Prin- 
cess, while  the  Due  d'Havre  stepped  forward  and  stated 
the  mission  which  he  had  received  both  from  the  King  his 
master  and  from  her  Royal  consort.  The  Neapolitan 
Ambassador,  increasing  the  embarrassment  of  the  position, 
replied  forthwith  ;  and  his  words  were  immediately  fol- 
lowed by  this  curious  pantomime :  the  Due  d'Havre,  by 
strength  of  the  ratifications  which  had  been  exchanged,  led 
over  to  our  side  her  whom  he  had  just  greeted  as  Duchesse 
de  Berry,  and  while  the  Neapolitan  Court  remained  motion- 
less in  its  place,  we,  as  had  been  arranged  beforehand, 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  327 

each  assumed  our  respective  functions.  Mine  consisted 
in  first  having  myself  officially  presented,  with  my  names 
and  titles,  by  the  Due  d'Havre  ;  but  so  soon  as  this  for- 
mality was  completed,  the  latter  became  as  it  were  the 
subordinate  of  myself  as  Mistress  of  the  Robes,  and  from 
that  moment  he  was  not  allowed  to  do  anything  without 
my  knowledge  and  participation. 

Approaching  Mme.  la  Duchesse  de  Berry,  I  presented  to 
her  in  my  turn  all  the  small  French  Court,  commencing 
with  the  Due  d'Havre,  who,  now  that  his  duties  as  Ambas- 
sador were  accomplished,  simply  ranked  as  one  of  ourselves. 
None  of  the  spectators  of  these  different  movements  can 
have  understood  much  about  them.  I  myself  thought 
them  strange,  but  I  was  following  a  programme,  and  as  a 
rule  I  made  it  a  point  to  depart  from  precedent  as  little  as 
possible,  and  only  when  I  considered  certain  portions  to  be 
too  superannuated. 

Soon  the  First  Lady  of  the  Bedchamber,  the  Comtcsse 
de  la  Ferronnays,  assuming  her  personal  functions,  took 
Mme.  la  Duchesse  de  Berry  to  a  room  where  all  her  French 
garments  were  prepared.  She  was  made  to  take  off,  down 
to  her  shift,  all  those  in  which  she  was  dressed.  This 
over,  she  reappeared  in  the  hall  of  the  H6tel-dc-VilIe, 
where  all  the  civil  and  military  authorities  awaited  her. 

Her  timidity  prevented  her  from  replying  to  all  the 
addresses  presented  to  her,  although  if  all  these  serious 
and  pompous  speeches  had  resembled  that  of  the  Comte 
de  Bastard,  who  received  her  at  Lyons,  she  would  have 
avoided  all  necessity  for  reply  of  any  sort. 


328  MEMOIRS  OF  MARSHAL  OUDINOT 

"  Daughter  of  St.  Louis,"  he  said,  after  bowing  pro- 
foundly before  her,  "  give  us  sons  who  resemble  you." 

There  was  no  answer  possible  to  a  command  of  this 
description. 

The  journey  was  a  long  triumphal  progress.  Reception 
succeeded  reception,  fete  followed  upon  fete  at  the  dif- 
ferent towns  we  halted  at,  until  at  last  we  reached  the 
little  town  of  Nemours,  the  last  stage  at  which  we  were  to 
pass  the  night  before  arriving  at  Fontainebleau,  where  the 
King,  the  bridegroom  and  the  whole  Court  awaited  the 
Royal  traveller. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Interview  of  the  Due  and  Duchesse  de  Berry  in  the  Forest  of  Fontainehleau  — 
The  ceremony  at  Notre  Dame — The  Duchesse  de  Berry's  new  existence 
— The  Greffulhe  Ball — The  13th  of  February  1820 — Assassination  of  the 
Due  de  Berry— The  scene  at  the  Opera-house — The  Duke's  last  moments 
— The  circumstances  of  the  crime — ^Details  about  Louvel — His  arrest — 
And  trial — The  Duchesse  de  Berry  at  Saint-Cloud  and  at  the  Pavilion 
Marsan — Her  confinement— Birth  of  the  Comte  de  Chambord — The  wit- 
nesses— Death  of  Napoleon — The  Spanish  War — Oudinot,  commanding 
the  1st  Army  Corps,  makes  an  exclusively  political  campaign — Journey  to 
Dieppe — Illness  and  death  of  Louis  XVIII. 

The  latter  part  of  the  day  spent  at  Nemours  was  devoted 
to  meditation.  Her  Royal  Highness  had  been  accompanied 
by  her  almoner  along  the  whole  journey,  and  at  this  moment 
was  more  fully  occupied  with  him  than  ever.  She  was 
naturally  much  excited  at  the  thought  of  the  coming  inter- 
view. 

The  next  morning,  after  Mass,  at  which  Her  Highness 
partook  of  Holy  Communion,  and  after  a  private  breakfast, 
we  all  assumed  Court  dress,  for  it  was  in  this  attire  that  we 
were  to  travel  the  six  leagues  which  separated  us  from  Fon- 
tainebleau. 

The  meeting-place  was  at  the  cross-roads  at  St.  H(!rem's 
Cross,  which  stands  in  the  middle  of  the  forest.  The  car- 
riages of  the  King  and  the  bride  were  to  arrive  at  the  same 
time  from  opposite  directions  upon  this  vast  expanse  of 

lawn,  which  was  easily  able  to  contain  all  the  carriages  and 
22  3,9 


330 


MEMOIRS  OF 


their  horses  and  those  of  the  escort.  Signals  had  been 
arranged  along  both  roads,  in  order  to  hasten  or  slacken  the 
respective  speed  of  the  carriages,  so  as  to  enable  them,  as 
prescribed  by  the  ceremonial,  to  arrive  simultaneously.  We 
followed  our  Princess,  to  whom  the  King,  who  had  alighted 
on  his  side,  stretched  out  his  arms  in  order  to  prevent  her 
from  kneeling  to  him,  as  was  also  prescribed  by  the  order 
of  ceremonies.  Without  waiting  to  read  the  letters  from 
the  King  of  Naples  presented  to  him  by  the  Princess, 
the  King  reentered  with  her  the  Royal  chariot,  which  was 
all  of  glass  and  of  a  dimension  to  carry  the  whole  Family. 
We  followed  in  our  own  carriage,  and  in  this  way  made 
our  entrance  into  Fontainebleau. 

In  spite  of  the  frigid  solemnity  of  the  etiquette  followed 
on  this  occasion,  there  was  a  certain  display  of  sentiment, 
and  M.  le  Due  de  Berry  had  seized  an  opportunity  to  say 
to  Mme.  de  la  P'erronays  and  myself: 

"  Ah,  you  bring  me  some  one  incomparably  more 
attractive  than  I  had  imagined." 

He  seemed  delivered  from  a  nightmare,  and  in  his  joy  he 
thanked  us  as  though  we  had  moulded  the  young  arrival 
with  our  own  hands. 

There  was  a  solemn  dinner,  finished  by  a  solemn  evening. 
A  game  of  loto-daiipJiin,  over  which  the  King  presided, 
formed  part  of  the  programme,  and  I  found  it  a  very 
imposing  task,  I  can  assure  you,  to  have  to  call  out  the 
numbers  in  my  turn,  amid  profound  silence.  When  I  had 
finished  this  duty,  I  thought  that  was  all  ;  but  the  King, 
looking  me  straight  in  the  face,  asked  : 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT 


331 


**  Have  you  finished,  maclame  la  duchesse  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Sire,  the  blanks  are  all  filled." 

"  But  at  the  last  number  you  ought  to  say  *  and,'  which 
explains  to  all  of  us  that  you  have  finished  calling  out  the 
numbers." 

I  remembered  it  for  the  future. 

We  retired  early,  and  the  next  morning  we  drove  to 
Paris,  where  an  official  entry  was  made. 

Next  came  the  day  of  the  marriage  ceremony  at  Notre 
Dame.  The  procession  and  the  religious  service  were  very 
imposing  and  fine.  All  the  State  bodies  were  represented. 
The  entire  garrison  under  arms  and  the  National  Guard  had 
difficulty  in  restraining  the  flood  of  the  population,  which 
rolled  in  billows  from  the  Tuileries  to  the  cathedral.  The 
weather  was  magnificent. 

The  whole  programme,  which  dated  back  to  the  days  of 
Louis  XIV.,  was  followed  out  to  its  last  limits;  and  after 
the  fete  which  ended  the  evening  of  the  wedding,  the  King, 
followed  by  all  the  Court,  men  and  women,  conducted  the 
bride  and  bridegroom  to  their  room,  and  when  they  were  in 
bed,  bid  them  good-night  in  public.  After  taking  part  in 
this  strange  ceremony,  I  was  at  last  able  to  return  home. 
Need  I  describe  my  joy  on  meeting  my  dear  ones  again,  or 
my  delight  at  being  able  to  take  my  little  daughter  upon 
my  knees  1 

My  duties  as  Mistress  of  the  Robes,  which  were  encum- 
bered with  a  multiplicity  of  details,  did  not  compel  me  to 
follow  up  the  whole  of  the  service  out-of-doors,  which  was 
divided  among  the  eight  young  ladics-in-waiting  whom   I 


332 


MEMOIRS  OF 


have  named  to  you.  I  organized  their  services,  and  strictly 
speaking,  I  was  only  obliged  to  do  mine  on  Sundays,  for 
the  King's  Mass,  the  receptions  of  ambassadors,  which 
took  place  periodically,  and  the  presentation  of  distin- 
guished foreigners  to  Her  Royal  Highness,  which  could 
only  be  performed  by  myself;  and  under  some  other 
exceptional  circumstances.  But  it  would  have  been  very 
ungracious  of  me  to  harden  myself  against  the  affectionate 
appeals  which  were  made  to  me  outside  my  obligations, 
especially  when  I  observed  the  price  which  was  put  upon 
my  presence  and  the  care  bestowed  on  the  selection  of 
occasions  which  would  be  the  least  irksome  and  the  most 
agreeable  to  me. 

Among  the  excursions  in  which  I  took  part  at  this  time, 
I  consider  that  to  Chantilly  one  of  the  most  interesting.  I 
have  told  you  how  the  old  Prince  de  Conde,  who  spent  the 
last  two  or  three  years  of  his  life  there,  had  no  longer  the 
complete  use  of  his  faculties  ;  but  the  Royal  couple's  wed- 
ding-visit seemed  to  restore  them  to  him.  Of  the  magnifi- 
cent residence  of  the  Grand  Conde,  nothing  remained  save 
the  stables  and  offices  of  the  chateau.  It  was  in  this  latter 
part  of  the  buildings  that  the  Prince  had  made  himself  a 
very  comfortable  summer  residence.  He  received  the  Prince 
and  Princess,  followed  by  their  little  Court,  with  exquisite 
politeness.  It  was  a  pleasant  sight,  and  at  the  same  time 
touching.  The  old  man  supported  his  tottering  steps  upon 
the  vigorous  arm  of  the  Prince,  who  at  that  time  seemed  the 
most  solid  pillar  of  the  Royal  Dynasty.  We  passed  through 
a  number  of  rooms    decorated  with   historical  paintings, 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT 


333 


having  for  the  most  part  the  great  deeds  of  the  Grand 
Conde  for  their  subject.  One  of  them  depicted  his  victory 
over  the  Royalist  troops.  The  august  family  had  not 
wished  to  lose  any  of  the  military  triumphs  of  this  great 
man ;  but  a  figure  had  been  painted  in  the  corner  of  the 
picture  to  represent  History.  In  her  hand  she  held  a  book, 
from  which  many  leaves  had  been  torn,  and  upon  these  you 
read  distinctly  the  details  of  this  battle,  which  was  guilty 
in  principle,  but  glorious  as  a  deed  of  arms. 

Mme.  la  Duchesse  de  Berry  was  also  upon  very  good 
terms  with  her  aunt,  Mme.  la  Duchesse  d'Orleans,  who 
lived  at  Neuilly  with  her  husband,  her  numerous  family 
and  Mile.  d'Orleans.  It  was  also  a  great  pleasure  to  meet 
the  Dowager  Duchesse  d'Orleans,  who  had  a  little  private 
Court  of  her  own.  She  was  Egalite's  widow,  and  nee 
Penthievre.  Her  reputation  for  perfect  goodness  was  so 
well  established  that  opinions,  however  diverse,  had  never 
any  but  sympathetic  words  to  utter  towards  this  Princess. 
She  had  happened  to  break  her  thigh  when  the  Emperor 
returned  to  Paris  on  the  20th  of  March.  He  hastened,  I 
was  told,  to  send  her  a  safeguard,  accompanied  by  words 
expressing  his  deep  interest.  In  the  summer  she  lived  in 
a  very  simple  little  country-house  at  Ivry.  We  often  dined 
there  informally ;  and  she  exchanged  plants,  bushes,  aiul 
water-fowl  with  the  Marshal.  This  conformit}'  in  their 
tastes  had  brought  them  together. 

The  Court  spent  the  summer  at  Saint-Cloud,  and  in  the 
autumn  a  short  stay  was  generally  made  in  one  of  the  other 
Royal  residences,  such  as  Fontainebleau,  Compiegne  and 


33+  MEMOIRS  OF 

Raml:)ouillct.  Nothing  could  well  be  less  country-like  than 
the  invariably  official  life  in  these  palaces,  with  the  excep- 
tion that  all  the  services  of  what  was  called  the  "  great 
posts "  breakfasted  with  the  King,  who  retired  for  dinner 
into  the  bosom  of  his  family,  while  we  took  this  meal  at 
the  table  of  the  Lord  Steward,  a  favourite  office  which  was 
filled  in  all  the  Courts  of  the  Restoration  first  by  M.  le 
Due  de  Cars,  and  after  his  death  by  M.  le  Comte  de  Cosse- 
Brissac.  Their  charming  wives  admirably  did  the  honours 
of  this  table,  which  was  in  every  way  perfectly  served.  In 
Paris  we  had  the  honour  of  breakfasting  with  the  King 
three  times  a  year.  This  was  on  the  ist  of  January,  on  his 
saint's  day,  and  on  the  anniversary  of  his  restoration. 

When  Mme.  la  Duchesse  de  Berry  began  to  entertain 
hopes  of  motherhood,  I  received  full  instructions  as  to  my 
duties  in  this  connection  from  the  Grand  Master  of  Cere- 
monies. It  was  the  rule  that  the  mother  of  the  Children 
of  France  should  give  birth  to  them  in  public.  It  was  a 
select  public,  I  admit,  consisting  of  the  King,  the  Royal 
Family,  the  Princes  of  the  Blood,  the  Ministers,  the  Chan- 
cellor of  France,  in  a  word,  the  Government.  And  all 
these  were  to  be  summoned  by  me  at  a  certain  moment, 
that  is  to  say,  not  long  before  and  certainly  not  after  the 
decisive  moment.  All  this  seemed  a  very  formidable  business 
to  me ;  but  before  reaching  the  precise  time  concerning 
Her  Royal  Highnes.s,  I  had  to  occupy  myself  on  my  own 
account  with  the  birth  of  my  second  daughter,  Caroline. 
Monsieur,  the  King's  brother,  and  Mme.  la  Duchesse  de 
Berry  personally  held  this  child  over  the  baptismal  font. 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  335 

She  arrived  brimming  with  health  in  bright  sunshine  on  the 
2nd  of  June  1817,  and  was  the  Marshal's  sixth  daughter. 

I  was  keeping  myself  prepared  for  eventualities  when, 
some  months  after  this  birth,  I  was  summoned  in  all  haste 
to  the  Elysee-Bourbon.  Already  Louis  XVIII.  and  many 
members  of  the  Government  had  been  warned  and  were  at 
their  posts.  I  sent  out  as  quickly  as  possible  the  notices 
which  had  been  delayed,  and  only  after  these  formalities 
had  been  carried  out  was  I  allowed  to  go  to  my  poor  youn"- 
Princess,  whose  screams  could  be  heard  in  all  these  rooms 
filled  with  people  in  full  dress. 

Her  Royal  Highness  gave  birth  to  a  daughter  who 
seemed  very  healthy,  but  whose  sex  was  a  great  disappoint- 
ment to  her  family.  Nevertheless,  I  went  home  in  the 
evening  much  relieved,  if  not  satisfied  ;  I  went  out  again 
very  early  the  next  morning,  and  did  not  expect,  when  I 
reached  the  Elysee,  to  find  the  Palace  in  a  turmoil.  The 
child  had  been  attacked  with  internal  convulsions  which 
threatened  its  days.  The  Faculty  exerted  itself  in  vain ; 
in  a  very  little  while  the  poor  babe  was  dead. 

The  young  mother  accepted  this  sorrow  with  a  Christian 
resignation  which  edified  me  greatly.  A  consolation  seemed 
about  to  follow  before  a  year  was  passed,  only  to  result  in 
renewed  disappointment.  Mme.  la  Duchesse  de  Berry 
gave  birth  to  a  bo)',  but  he  came  prematurely,  and  only 
lived  long  enough  to  be  privately  baptized,  like  his  sister. 

We  thus  came  to  the  year  18 19.  I  brought  my  son 
Charles  into  the  world  ;  and  this  arrival  of  a  boy  brought 
joy  into  our  household.     A  third  confinement  came  to  con- 


336  MEMOIRS  OF 

sole  the  Tuileries  and  the  Elysce-Bourbon,  and  on  the  27th 
of  September  was  born,  amid  the  ceremonial  I  have  already 
described,  Louise  of  France,  who  was  known  by  the  title 
of  Mademoiselle.  I  well  remember  the  strange  feeling  I 
experienced  on  seeing  Mme.  la  Duchesse  de  Gontaut,  who 
had  been  appointed  Governess  to  the  Children  of  France, 
pass  by,  carrying  on  an  immense  pillow  the  little  girl, 
weighing  less  than  three  pounds,  who  was  about  to  be 
installed  in  the  immense  apartments  prepared  for  her ;  and 
on  seeing  the  crowd  of  courtiers  rise  in  a  body  at  the  cry 
of  "  Mademoiselle  "  uttered  by  the  gentleman-usher.  Will 
she  live  .'*  I  asked  myself.  Will  it  be  in  France  .^  What 
has  the  future  in  store  for  that  little  being  ^  What  influ- 
ence will  it  be  able  to  exercise  if  God  preserves  its  delicate 
life .? 

The  child  grew  up  to  become  the  worthy  and  noble 
Duchess  of  Parma,  whose  virtues  and  whose  pure  and  mag- 
nanimous character  were  admired  by  all  Europe. 

M.  le  Due  de  Berry  gave  many  entertainments  at  the 
Elysee-Bourbon.  It  was,  I  believe,  early  in  January  1820 
that  during  the  preparations  for  one  of  these,  the  upholsterers 
and  all  the  staff  were  seized  with  alarm  at  the  fall  of  a 
whole  panel  full  of  mirrors  which  occupied  one  of  the  sides 
of  the  long  gallery  of  the  Palace.  There  was  nothing  to 
explain  this  catastrophe,  which  caused  only  a  temporary 
annoyance  at  the  time,  for  it  was  quickly  repaired,  but  not 
long  afterwards  it  gave  cause  to  superstitious  people  to 
regard  it  as  a  sinister  omen  of  what  followed. 

Nothing  notable  occurred  during  the  ensuing  weeks  to 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  337 

delay  my  mention  of  the  terrible  event  which  I  will  now 
describe  to  you. 

On  Friday  the  nth  of  February  1820, 1  was  not  on  duty 
and  had  gone  to  a  supper  given  by  the  Grand  Referendary, 
the  Marquis  de  Semonville,  at  the  Luxembourg.  Several 
of  the  guests  had  come  on  from  a  masked  ball  which  the 
Comtesse  Greffulhe  was  giving  the  same  evening,  and  told 
me  that  they  had  recognized  M.  le  Due  and  AInie.  la 
Duchesse  de  Berry  there  beneath  their  dominoes.  They 
all  agreed  that  the  ball  had  been  charming.  The  next  day 
I  asked  Her  Royal  Highness  if  she  had  taken  much  part 
in  it. 

"  I  enjoyed  myself  immensely,"  she  replied  ;  "  there  were 
so  many  different  and  ingenious  disguises,  and  we  were 
particularly  amused  by  the  Due  de  Fitz-James  made  up  as 
Potier  in  the  part  of  the  sly  old  father  in  the  Pctitcs 
Dana'ides'.^ 

This  play  was  drawing  all  Paris  to  the  Porte  Saint- 
Martin.  It  was  a  parody  of  the  grand  opera  of  the 
Danaides,  which  was  much  in  vogue  at  that  time. 

"  Oh,  how  funny  the  Duke  was,"  resumed  the  Princess, 
"  ferociously  sharpening  all  the  fifty  little  knives  which  he 
drew  from  his  pockets.  His  imperturbable  face  in  the 
midst  of  this  occupation,  which  he  continued  through  all 
the  ball-rooms,  was  exquisitely  comical." 

Alas,  this  zealous  servant  of  the  dynasty  little  suspected 
that  at  that  moment  a  real  knife  was  being  sharpened  in 
the  court-yard  of  the  Hotel  Greffulhe,  and  that,  but  for  a 
shower  which  upset  all  the  assassin's  plans,  he  would  have 


338  MEMOIRS  OF 

put  into  execution  that  same  night  one  which  he  had  long 
been  meditating.  Yes,  the  rain  caused  Louvel  to  postpone 
the  crime  on  which  his  mind  was  gloating. 

In  order  to  finish  with  the  Greffulhe  ball,  I  will  add  that, 
upon  my  asking  Mme.  la  Duchesse  de  Berry  why  she  had 
not  danced,  she  replied,  in  a  whisper : 

"In  confidence,  I  have  fresh  hopes ;  but  they  are  so 
vague,  dear  duchesse,  that  I  do  not  talk  about  them." 

You  can  imagine  with  what  satisfaction  I  received  these 
words. 

At  last  rose  the  sad  day  of  Sunday  the  13th  of  Feb- 
ruary 1820.  I  went,  as  usual,  to  breakfast  at  the  Elysee- 
Bourbon.  These  breakfasts  were  always  gay.  We  were 
called,  not  without  reason,  the  young  Court.  Our  Princess 
was  only  twenty  years  old  ;  none  of  her  ladies,  excepting 
perhaps  the  Duchesse  de  Gontaut,  was  as  much  as  thirty, 
and  some  of  us  were  much  less.  M.  le  Due  de  Berry, 
who  was  thirty-nine,  had  selected  the  greater  part  of  his 
aides-de-camp  from  among  the  young  heroes  who  had 
figured  in  the  last  wars  of  the  Empire ;  and  if,  among  this 
world  full  of  life,  there  were  to  be  found  some  few  devoted 
old  emigrants,  they  spoilt  nothing,  because  not  only  was 
the  right  of  their  presence  naturally  recognized,  but  they 
were  generally  both  gay  and  amiable.  At  their  head 
was  the  Due  de  Levis,  who  was  welcomed  wherever  he 
went. 

Monseigneur  amused  himself,  as  he  often  did,  in  testing 
the  dexterity  of  his  most  elegant  officers  by  throwing  new- 
laid  eggs  to  them  across  the  table,  which,  had  they  failed 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  339 

to  catch  them,  would  have  broken  over  their  briUiant 
uniforms.  But  we  had  reached  the  last  of  all  these  break- 
fasts. On  this  13th  of  February  we  rose  hurriedly  from 
table,  fearing  lest  we  should  be  late  for  the  King's  Mass. 
Wrapped  in  furs,  the  Prince,  his  wife  and  I  stepped  into 
the  carriage,  and  driving  across  the  frozen  streets  of  Paris, 
we  arrived  at  the  Tuileries  just  in  time. 

I  had  taken  leave  of  the  Royal  Couple  from  the  Elysee, 
when  I  remembered  that  Mme.  de  Sainte-Aulaire  had 
written  to  me  that  morning  asking  me  to  obtain  M.  le  Due 
de  Berry's  box  at  the  Varietes  for  her  for  that  evening. 
She  wrote  that  she  was  dying  to  see  LOiirs  ct  la  Pacha, 
and  that  there  was  not  a  seat  to  be  had.  I  ran  after  the 
Prince,  and  caught  him  up  at  the  end  of  the  galler}-. 

"  Your  box  at  the  Varietes,  Monseigneur  .'  "  I  asked. 

"  Whom  for  .?  " 

I  hesitated,  with  a  smile ;  the  Sainte-Aulaire  family 
had  been  playing  a  little  at  opposition  since  the  famous 
Toulouse  proclamation  had  caused  them  to  be  somewhat 
severely  judged.  I  did  not  wish  to  deceive  the  Prince,  and 
I  mentioned  their  name.  He  smiled  in  his  turn,  and  after 
an  instant's  hesitation,  he  said,  "  Yes."  It  was  the  last 
word  he  ever  spoke  to  me.  With  that,  it  was  an  act  of 
graciousness,  and  that  is  the  reason  why  I  have  entered 
into  all  these  minute  details. 

I  made  use  of  my  complete  liberty  of  that  evening  to 
take  my  step-daughter  Elisa  to  my  friend  the  Duchessc 
d'Albufera's  ball.  It  was  very  brilliant,  and  I  was  amusing 
myself,  and  talking  gaily  with  a  friend,  when  I  suddenly 


340  MEMOIRS  OF 

observed  two  gentlemen  evidently  preoccupied  and  whisper- 
ing together  with  their  looks  turned  in  my  direction.  It 
was  Casimir  P6rier  and  General  Pamphilc  de  la  Croix. 
One  of  them  left  the  other,  came  straight  up  to  me,  and 
bending  over  to  my  ear,  said  : 

"We  have  made  up  our  minds  that  it  is  our  duty  to 
inform  you  of  a  melancholy  event.  M.  le  Due  de  Berry 
has  been  stabbed  with  a  dagger,  at  the  Opera." 

"Ah  God!" 

"  The  assassin  has  been  arrested,"  resumed  the  general, 
"  and  the  wound  has  not  been  pronounced  mortal." 

"  Please,  general,  find  my  step-daughter,  who  is  dancing 
in  the  next  room,  and  put  us  into  our  carriage." 

The  Hotel  d'Albufera  was  next  to  the  Elysee-Bourbon, 
and  I  at  once  entered  the  court-yard,  which  was  already 
filling  with  other  carriages.  When  I  reached  the  first 
lobby,  a  frightened  woman  flew  up  to  me,  crying : 

"  Where  do  you  come  from  ?     What  do  you  know  .^  " 

I  had  difficulty  in  recognizing  in  her  the  Duchesse  de 
Gontaut.  Several  people  joined  us,  men  and  women  of 
our  circle,  some  in  silk  gowns,  others  in  dominoes,  all 
arriving  from  the  different  entertainments  which  are  always 
given  on  Shrove  Tuesday.  It  was  not  till  then  that  I 
learnt  that  the  Prince  was  unable  to  be  moved,  and  was 
lying  at  the  spot  where  the  crime  had  been  committed. 
"  To  the  Opera  !  "  I  cried  to  my  coachman.  Two  gentle- 
men stepped  into  the  carriage  with  me :  General  Comte 
Belliard  and  the  Comte  de  Saint-Cricq.  "  We  will  not 
leave  you  alone  at  such  a  moment  as  this,"  said  the  former  ; 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  341 

"one  never  knows  what  may  still  be  in  store."  I  had  sent 
my  step-daughter  to  my  room  at  the  Elysee. 

We  arrived  without  hindrance  in  the  Rue  Rameau, 
which  was  destroyed  together  with  the  Opera- House. 
We  got  out  beneath  the  little  portico  which  afforded  a 
private  entrance  to  Their  Royal  Highnesses'  box.  I 
hastened  up  a  steep,  narrow  staircase,  crowded  with 
people,  of  whom  one  alone  was  seated  on  the  stairs,  the 
last  one,  I  believe,  touching  the  fatal  door.  In  spite  of  the 
feebleness  of  the  light  which  barely  made  the  surroundings 
visible,  I  thought  I  recognized  in  this  person  Mme.  la 
Duchesse  d'Orleans.  It  was  she,  in  fact.  She  had  come 
hurriedly,  with  her  family ;  and  without  entering  the  room, 
she  was  close  at  hand,  so  as  to  receive  the  first  news  of  the 
victim. 

"  Go  in,  go  in,"  she  said,  making  room  for  me  to  pass  ; 
"  your  place  is  there,"  pointing  to  the  door.  I  opened  it, 
and  went  in.  .  .  . 

The  victim  lay  stretched  on  some  mattresses  brought 
together  in  haste.  His  face  and  lips  were  livid.  Already 
the  shadow  of  death  was  upon  his  forehead,  and  yet  his 
dying  eyes  were  astonishingly  full  of  expression.  By  his 
side  was  his  wife,  wrapped  in  a  blood-stained  dressing- 
gown  which  had  replaced  the  silk  gown,  also  soaked 
with  blood,  which  she  had  put  off.  She  held  the  Prince's 
hand  in  one  of  hers  ;  with  the  other  she  beckoned  to  me  to 
approach. 

"  Speak  low,"  she  said,  in  a  sort  of  wandering  voice, 
"  for  he  hears  everything." 


342 


MEMOIRS  OF 


I  did  not  speak,  low  or  otherwise ;  none  spoke  but 
Dupuytren  alone,  who  declared  that  he  was  going  to 
enlarge  the  wound,  which  had  stopped  bleeding.  In  fact, 
the  streams  of  blood  which  we  saw  with  dismayed  eyes 
came  from  a  heap  of  leeches,  which  had  been  thrown  by 
handfuls  upon  that  broad  uncovered  bosom  ;  but  the 
wound  proper,  caused  by  a  very  fine  blade,  seemed  closed, 
and  internal  hemorrhage  threatened  to  set  in. 

But  this  conscientious  and  indispensable  operation  added 
terribly  to  the  wounded  Prince's  martyrdom,  and  he  uttered 
such  cries  of  pain  that  I  fell  upon  my  knees,  and  leaning 
against  Madame  de  Noailles,  who  was  in  the  same  attitude 
as  myself,  I  stopped  my  ears  and  felt  as  though  paralysed 
with  horror.  If  any  one  could  have  saved  M.  le  Due  de 
Berry,  it  would  have  been  Dupuytren.  As  it  was,  this 
expert  surgeon,  unable  to  do  more,  had  obtained  a  tem- 
porary improvement,  which  restored  to  the  dying  man 
the  faculties  which  he  employed  in  sanctifying  the  last 
moments  of  his  life. 

The  first  use  the  Prince  made  of  the  power  of  speech 
which  had  been  restored  to  him  by  the  flow  of  blood  was 
to  ask  for  a  priest,  the  object  of  his  first  cry.  Mgr.  de 
Latil,  the  Archbishop  of  Rheims,  was  there  ;  bending  his 
ear  over  the  dying  man's  lips,  he  received  a  confession 
which  we  were  all  in  danger  of  hearing,  the  words  being 
jerked  out  in  hiccoughs.  At  last,  with  every  possible  pre- 
caution, the  mattress  was  laid  upon  the  floor,  in  order 
that  the  archbishop,  almost  lying  over  the  sick  man, 
should  have  a  greater  chance  of  hearing  alone.     In  con* 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT 


343 


sequence  of  the  Prince's  constant  vomiting,  it  was  impos- 
sible to  administer  the  viaticum  ;  but  immcchatcly  after 
the  absolution,  the  Prince  cried  in  a  loud  voice  : 

"  I  should  like  to  see  all  my  children.  ..." 

Until  that  moment,  we  knew  of  no  child  except 
Mademoiselle,  who  was  four  months  old. 

"Heavens!  what  is  he  saying.'"  whispered  Mme.  la 
Duchesse  d'Angouleme  to  mc,  seizing  my  hand.  This 
Princess  knew  of  the  English  connexion,  as  did  all  the 
Royal  Family.  A  general  stupor  ensued ;  but  the  Prince, 
guessing  and  understanding  everything,  spoke  again,  and 
looking  towards  Mme.  Ic  Duchesse  de  Berr)',  said  : 

"  My  dear,  I  confess  to  you,  I  have  several  children  !  " 

"  Charles,"  she  replied,  "why  did  you  not  tell  me  before  ^ 
I  should  have  adopted  them.  Let  them  be  sent  for;" 
and  then,  turning  to  the  Due  de  Coigny,  one  of  the 
Prince's  aides-de-camp,  she  said,  "  Go  also  and  fetch  my 
daughter." 

The  two  little  English  girls  arrived  before  the  Royal 
child.  They  approached  the  bed,  knelt  down,  and  in 
tears  received  the  blessing  of  their  father,  who  spoke  to 
them  in  English.  The  unhappy  Princess  embraced  them  ; 
but  the  minutes  were  numbered,  and  her  own  child  diil 
not  come.  Dupuytren  did  not  leave  go  of  the  Prince's 
pulse,  and  the  latter  said  to  him  : 

"  Do  not  deceive  me,  give  me  fair  warning,  I  have  more 
to  do  down  here." 

At  last  the  Duchesse  de  Gontaut  brought  the  august 
little   babe   in   swaddling  clothes,  who  also  received   that 


344  MEMOIRS  OF 

precious  blessing.  Giving  way  before  all  this  emotion,  the 
Princess  threw  herself  on  her  knees  beside  the  bed. 
"Take  care,"  said  her  husband,  then,  "  think  of  the  child 
you  carry."  At  this  solemn  revelation,  whose  importance 
escaped  none  of  us,  we  were  all  profoundly  impressed. 
Meantime  the  Prince's  strength  was  rapidly  sinking.  He 
had  several  times  begged  for  the  presence  of  the  King. 

'*  It  is  especially  to  ask  for  pardon  for  the  iiianl'  said 
the  Prince,  for  he  never  described  the  assassin  by  any 
other  term.  The  constant  reply  was,  "  The  King  is 
coming."  It  was  not  that  His  Majesty  lacked  the  will, 
but  his  growing  infirmities  made  it  very  difficult  for  him 
to  rise  and  be  moved  at  night.  We  asked  ourselves  how 
it  would  be  possible  to  bring  him  up  to  the  top  of  the 
sort  of  ladder  which  we  had  mounted.  He  arrived  never- 
theless. 

But  meantime  the  long  wait  was  not  wasted.  With  his 
eyes  fixed  on  his  father,  the  dying  Prince  recommended 
all  his  servants  to  him  ;  then  turning  to  M.  le  Due 
d'Angouleme,  he  whispered  a  i&\^  words  which  were 
piously  received  by  the  latter.  When  all  these  duties 
were  accomplished,  the  unfortunate  Prince  suddenly  asked 
himself  what  he  could  have  done  to  bring  this  treatment 
upon  himself;  and  then,  as  though  to  expiate  this  accus- 
ing thought,  he  said  : 

"  Perhaps  I  had  unintentionally  off"ended  him." 

It  struck  half-past  five,  and  the  pale  dawn  became  visible 
through  the  candle-light  of  the  death  chamber.  The 
Prince's  chest  became  obstructed,  his  words  came  fewer 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  345 

and  fewer,  and  a  mortal  stupor  was  weighing  upon  the 
numerous  witnesses  of  this  dying  agony,  when  the  sufferer 
seemed  to  revive  at  the  sound  of  a  faint  noise  which  he 
was  the  first  to  hear,  and  in  a  loud  voice,  he  said  : 

"  There  is  the  King's  escort  ! " 

Soon  we  heard  the  painful  efforts  by  means  of  which 
the  King  was  brought  from  the  bottom  to  the  topmost 
step  of  the  staircase.  His  Majesty  stood  before  the  death- 
bed of  the  heir  of  his  race,  but  yesterday  so  full  of  the  hope 
of  life  ;  and  the  dying  man  did  not  waste  one  of  the  few 
seconds  which  remained  to  him  in  which  to  attain  his 
object : 

"  Sire,"  he  said  in  a  voice  of  entreaty,  "  I  was  waiting  for 
you  to  beg  you  to  grant  me,  as  one  last  favour  in  this 
world,  the  life  of  the  man  .  .  ." 

And  when  the  King's  emotion  prevented  him  from 
replying  at  once : 

"Ah  !  uncle,  quick,  quick,  the  life  of  the  man  !  .  .  ." 

"Let  us  speak  of  yourself,  my  son,"  said  His  Majcst)-. 

A  third  entreaty  in  the  same  words  came  from  the  lips 
which  were  growing  paler  and  paler;  but  that  was  all  we 
heard,  for  at  that  moment  Mmc.  la  Duchcsse  de  Berry  was 
seized  with  a  nervous  attack,  and  had  to  be  carried  away. 
I  followed  her,  but  I  had  neither  the  power  nor  the  wish  to 
keep  her  from  returning,  and  then  .  .  .  all  was  over  .  .  . 

The  lifeless  head  of  the  defunct  was  supported  by  Du- 

puytren,  who  with  the  other  hand  held  a  mirror  before  the 

mouth  from  which  the  last  breath  had  issued.     The  King, 

the  unhappy  father,  the  brother,  the  sister,  all  tiie  hcart- 

23 


346  MEMOIRS  OF 

broken  spectators  at  first  restrained  their  feelings,  and  the 
silence  of  death  hung  over  the  room.  But  when  the  young 
widow  approached  the  motionless  corpse,  amidst  this  silent 
scene,  she  flung  herself  upon  her  knees  and  with  all  the 
effervescence  of  her  age  and  her  Italian  nationality, 
exclaimed  : 

"  Charles  is  dead,  I  want  to  return  home.  Sire,  let  me 
go  back  to  my  country." 

These  vehement  words  were  received  with  profound  and 
tender  pity  ;  and  during  the  exhaustion  which  followed 
upon  them,  His  Majesty  signed  to  us  to  remove  the 
unhappy  Princess  in  a  carriage  which  brought  us  back  to 
the  Elysee-Bourbon. 

So  soon  as  she  arrived,  the  Princess  rushed  in  despair  to 
her  husband's  room,  and  then  returning  to  her  own,  with- 
out at  first  occupying  herself  with  her  poor  little  child,  she 
was  seen  to  take  up  a  great  pair  of  scissors  from  her  toilet- 
table  and  cut  off  the  two  long  tresses  of  fair  hair  which  the 
Prince,  she  said,  had  loved  so  well. 

"  One  shall  be  for  him,"  she  added,  "  and  must  be  placed 
in  his  cofiin;  the  other  Lwill  keep  for  my  daughter." 

We  succeeded  at  last  in  persuading  the  bereaved  young 
Princess  to  go  to  bed.  This  was  only  after  we  had  reminded 
her  of  the  expectations  with  which  her  future  and  that  of 
the  Royal  Family  and  of  France  were  bound  up.  It  was 
at  this  moment  that  the  Marshal  sent  for  me  to  go  to  my 
room  in  the  Elysee,  where  I  joined  him  in  that  ball-dress 
which  added,  if  possible,  to  the  impressiveness  of  the 
situation. 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  347 

I  had  but  little  time  in  which  to  discuss  with  your  father 
the  terrible  event  that  had  taken  place  and  its  uncertain 
influence  upon  our  future.  The  Marshal,  awakened  at  the 
first  news  of  the  catastrophe,  had  at  once  put  on  his  uniform 
and  hastened  to  the  scene  of  the  crime.  With  horror  and 
distress  he  followed  the  agony  of  the  Prince  and  the  in- 
terrogatory of  the  assassin.  I  caught  glimpses  of  him  all 
through  the  night. 

The  two  dramas  were  only  separated  by  a  partition- 
wall  ;  and  to  explain  this  fact  to  }'ou,  I  will  leave  Mme.  la 
Duchesse  de  Berry  for  the  moment,  and  return  to  the 
murderer  and  his  affairs. 

On  the  Friday,  after  giving  up  the  idea  of  killing  the 
Prince  at  the  Hotel  Greffulhe,  Louvel  decided  to  carry  out 
his  project  on  the  Sunday  evening,  not  doubting  but  that 
his  victim  would  go  to  the  Opera,  for  he  had  been  studying 
his  habits  for  some  months.  He  therefore  took  up  his  post 
at  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  on  the  pavement  of  the  Rue 
Rameau,  walking  up  and  down  so  as  not  to  attract  attention. 
He  only  stopped  for  a  moment  near  the  portico  of  which  I 
have  already  spoken,  in  order  to  catch  the  order  given  to 
the  coachman.  "  At  eleven  o'clock,"  the  Prince  said  ;  and 
then  he  entered  with  his  wife,  the  Marquise  de  Bethisy,  the 
Comte  de  Mesnard,  the  Comte  Cesar  de  Choiseul  and  the 
Comte  de  Clermont-Lodeve.  The  Prince  never  permitted 
the  six  Grenadiers  who  composed  the  guard  of  the  private 
entrance  to  turn  out  either  at  his  arrival  or  his  departure; 
the  sentry  alone  stood  outside  and  presented  arms  ;  and 
Louvel,  who  knew  this,  went  towards  the  side  to  which  he 


348  MEMOIRS  OF 

knew  that  the  sentry  turned  his  back.  Towards  the  time 
appointed,  he  came  up  from  the  Rue  Richeheu  and  waited, 
walking  to  and  fro,  for  the  carriage  to  drive  up  ;  and 
its  owners  came  out  soon  after.  The  party  from  the  box 
crossed  the  pavement,  and  while  the  sentry  presented  arms, 
turning  his  back  to  the  murderer,  the  two  footmen,  in  the 
same  position,  let  down  the  carriage-step,  the  Prince  took 
leave  of  his  wife  as  he  handed  her  into  the  carriage,  and 
the  three  officers  saluted.  In  an  instant,  agile  as  a  panther, 
the  assassin,  springing  behind  the  six  men,  roughly  seized 
the  seventh  by  the  right  shoulder,  and  drove  a  long,  fine 
blade  to  the  hilt  into  his  heart.  With  another  bound  he 
at  once  removed  himself  from  the  witnesses  of  this  scene, 
which  was  so  quick  that  for  a  moment  no  one  quite  realized 
it.  A  dull  moan  from  the  Prince  suddenly  caused  the 
Comte  de  Mesnard  to  ask  him  : 

"  Have  you  been  struck  ?  " 

"  I  am  killed,"  he  replied,  himself  drawing  the  dagger 
from  the  wound. 

Then  another  cry  issued  from  the  carnage,  and  the 
unhappy  young  wife,  who  had  guessed  all,  sprang  out. 
She  reached  the  Prince  as  they  were  laying  him  on  the 
bench  of  the  guard-room  and  began  to  assist  the  witnesses 
of  this  horrible  scene,  some  of  whom  hurriedly  undid  the 
garments  which  covered  the  chest  of  the  Prince,  already 
stifling  and  almost  swooning  away,  while  the  others  rushed 
into  the  streets  in  pursuit  of  the  assassin. 

"  Send  for  a  priest,  my  dear  .  .  ."  were  the  first  words 
the  wounded  man  uttered. 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  349 

"  A  doctor,"  was  added  on  every  side. 

The  material  succour  was  the  first  to  arrive.  Dr.  Blan- 
cheton  was  within  reach,  and  made  the  first  examination, 
without  being  able  to  conceal  the  gravity  of  the  situation 
from  the  palpitating  hearts  which  were  awaiting  his  pro- 
nouncement. 

"  The  wound  does  not  bleed  sufficiently,"  he  said. 

Dr.  Bougon,  Monsieur's  Ph}'sician-in-Ordinary,  arrived  as 
these  words  were  spoken,  and  said  : 

"I  will  suck  the  wound." 

"Take  care,  Bougon,"  said  the  victim,  "it  may  be 
poisoned." 

The  faithful  servant  took  no  notice  of  this,  but  his 
courageous  endeavours  were  of  no  avail. 

Doctors,  apothecaries,  people  with  mattresses  came  from 
every  side.  At  last  it  was  decided,  for  want  of  a  better 
resort,  to  carry  the  Prince  into  the  actors'  room  where  the 
tragedy  was  completed.  The  heart-broken  family  and 
friends  and  devoted  servants  of  every  kind  had  hastened 
up  and  filled  the  room  when  I  arrived,  almost  immediately 
after  Dupuytren.  All  the  practitioners  had  made  way  for 
him,  and  you  have  seen  how  he  stayed  by  the  illustrious 
victim's  side  until  the  end. 

To  return  to  the  murderer,  he  ran  towards  the  Arcade 
Colbert,  hoping  that  if  he  succeeded  in  reaching  it.  he 
would  be  able  to  disappear  in  the  darkness  before  he  was 
caught  up.  This  plan  might  have  succeeded  but  for  an 
accident  which  delayed  him  for  a  few  seconds.  He  came 
into  violent  collision  with  a  waiter  coming  in  the  opposite 


350 


MEMOIRS  OF 


direction  and  carrying  a  dishful  of  ices.  The  fall  of  this 
young  man  with  his  load  caused  a  noise  with  which  was 
mingled  the  shout  of  the  sentry,  who  had  thrown  aside  his 
musket  in  order  to  run  more  easily,  and  who  had  out- 
stripped the  other  Grenadiers,  constantly  repeating  his  cry 
of "  Stop  him!  stop  the  murderer!"  It  was  during  the 
struggle  with  the  waiter,  who  had  seized  Louvel  while  he 
was  trying  to  rise,  that  the  sentry  came  up  with  him  and 
caught  him  by  the  collar.  His  comrades  came  to  his 
assistance,  and  the  man  was  brought  back,  bound  hand  and 
foot,  to  the  scene  of  the  crime. 

For  want  of  another  room,  he  was  placed  in  a  sort  of 
closet  leading  out  of  the  death-chamber.  From  there,  he 
distinctly  heard  all  that  went  on,  and  when,  in  the  course 
of  the  examination,  which  was  proceeded  with  as  quickly 
as  possible,  the  Chancellor  or  the  ministers  asked  him  if 
the  cries  of  his  victim  did  not  trouble  him,  he  replied  : 

"  No;  I  was  only  touched  by  the  cry  of  his  wife." 

His  fierce  composure  never  flinched  during  the  long 
hours  of  the  investigation,  which  lasted  almost  as  long  as 
the  life  of  the  Prince.  In  vain  was  it  sought  to  discover 
whether  he  had  any  accomplices  ;  and  nothing  occurred 
during  the  five  months  that  elapsed  before  the  trial  to  give 
the  lie  to  his  denials. 

The  man's  physiognomy  was,  I  was  told,  most  repulsive. 
One  of  my  companions  during  that  night  of  terror  and 
sorrow  whispered  to  me  : 

"Would  you  not  like  to  see  the  assassin.?  He  is  just 
through  that  door." 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  351 

She  took  no  heed  of  my  refusal,  and  went  alone,  return- 
ing shocked  by  his  hideous  image. 

A  second  dagger  was  found  on  Louvel,  but  no  hint  was 
to  be  obtained  as  to  the  use  he  intended  to  make  of  it. 
He  kept  to  his  invariable  reply  : 

"I  only  killed  M.  le  Due  de  Berry  as  being  destined  to 
propagate  a  family  which  I  desired  to  destroy.  Pcrsonall}', 
I  have  no  hatred  for  him  or  any  of  his ;  but  their  reign 
over  my  country  did  not  agree  with  my  ideas." 

Some  one  said  to  him  : 

"A  word  uttered  by  Monseigneur  has  revealed  that 
perhaps  your  crime  will  have  failed  to  advance  your  pro- 
ject of  destroying  the  Royal  race." 

These  words  seemed  particularly  to  fix  his  attention,  and 
he  replied : 

"  I  am  sorry  that  I  was  not  aware  of  that  fact." 

He  persistently  refused  to  explain  this  speech. 

During  a  few  moments  he  turned  livid  with  pallor. 
They  thought  it  was  remorse,  but  when  he  was  questioned 
on  the  subject,  he  simply  said  : 

" The  handcuffs  are  too  tight." 

These  were  loosened  and  his  pallor  disappeared. 

I  must  not  omit  to  mention  one  of  the  most  striking 
contrasts  of  that  tragic  night.  M.  le  Due  dc  Berr\'  had 
only  come  out  in  order  to  hand  his  wife  into  her  carriage, 
intending  himself  to  return  and  enjoy  the  last  act  of  the 
beautiful  ballet,  Le  Carnaval  de  Venise,  which  was  to  last 
half-an-hour  longer.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  performance 
continued.      Nothing  within  the   Opera-house  pointed   to 


352  MEMOIRS  OF 

the  tragedy  which  was  taking  place  outside,  and  it  was  to 
the  sound  of  the  most  joyous  and  captivating  music  that 
the  sad  scenes  which  I  have  described  to  you  were  enacted. 
An  early  rumour  reached  the  Orleans  Princes  as  they  were 
leaving  their  box,  and  you  have  read  how  they  lined  both 
sides  of  the  staircase  when  I  myself  arrived  ;  but  generally 
speaking,  the  news  was  not  known  in  Paris  until  the 
morning  of  the  14th. 

I  now  return  to  the  Elysee-Bourbon,  where  the  Royal 
Family  had  arrived,  in  addition  to  a  constant  flow  of 
visitors  belonging  to  the  Court  and  the  Government.  I 
never  left  the  side  of  my  dear  Princess,  except  to  attend 
to  such  details  as  came  within  my  special  province.  I 
knew  that  the  family  were  deliberating  as  to  the  residence 
which  was  to  be  provisionally  allotted  to  the  young  widow. 
It  was  at  once  decided  that  she  should  leave  the  Elysee- 
Bourbon,  which  had  become  impossible  for  her,  the  same 
night.  Orders  were  given  at  Saint- Cloud,  and  our  mourn- 
ful procession  arrived  there  at  nightfall  amid  an  icy 
coldness.  The  Princess  was  carried  to  the  largest  and 
most  comfortable  apartment  in  the  Royal  Chateau.  I  had 
my  bed  placed  near  hers,  and  lost  none  of  her  sobs  during 
this  second  terrible  night. 

Before  leaving  the  Elysee,  I  had  heard  from  a  trust- 
worthy source  that  the  deliberation  concerning  Her  Royal 
Highness's  permanent  residence,  had  fixed  it,  as  I  had 
hoped,  at  the  Palace  of  the  Tuileries,  Our  stay  at  Saint- 
Cloud  was  only  to  last  so  long  as  was  required  to  prepare 
the  Pavilion  de  Marsan,  the  whole  ground-floor  of  which 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT 


353 


was  to  be  given  up  to  the  use  of  Mme.  la  Duchesse  and 
Mademoiselle. 

After  the  funeral,  we  returned  with  the  young  widow  to 
the  Pavilion  de  Marsan,  where  we  found  the  rooms  hung 
from  floor  to  ceiling  with  black  cloth.  Not  a  mirror,  not 
a  corner  of  gilding  visible!  This  was  the  etiquette 
under  these  circumstances.  The  many  tall  windows 
of  these  immense  rooms  gave  hardly  sufficient  light, 
in  the  middle  of  the  day,  for  the  usual  occupations 
of  one's  life,  such  was  the  gloom  produced  by  these 
hangings.  It  was  worse  still  at  night.  Candles  were 
lighted  here  and  there  to  little  purpose  ;  we  lived  in  a 
tomb  none  the  less.  As  a  concession,  Her  Royal  Iligh- 
ness's  bed-room  had  been  hung  with  grey  cloth  only. 
The  mourning  of  the  whole  Household  was  carried 
out  with  the  greatest  strictness;  thus,  besides  having 
to  wear  stuff  dresses  for  more  than  a  year,  I  had 
to  have  my  carriage  draped,  that  is  to  say,  the  panels 
were  covered  with  cloth,  which  even  concealed  the 
armorial  designs.  ]\Iy  servants  also  were  dressed  in 
deep  mourning. 

In  spite  of  the  melancholy  conditions  under  which  I 
beheld  Mme.  la  Duchesse  de  Berry  return  to  the  Tuilerics, 
I  felt  an  immense  relief  when  I  saw  her  installed  under 
that  protecting  roof.  I  was  then  able  to  rctin-n  for  a  time 
to  my  husband  and  my  children,  whom  I  had  completely 
neglected  since  the  catastrophe  of  the  13th.  My  presence 
was  the  more  necessary  in  that  the  marriage  of  my  step- 
son Victor  with  Mile.  Eulalie  Minguet  had  been  decided 


354  MEMOIRS  OF 

upon  in  the  early  part  of  February.  I  had  told  the  poor 
Prince  of  it  on  the  Sunday  morning,  .  .  . 

When  the  widow's  pregnancy  was  officially  announced, 
the  rigidity  of  her  situation  had  to  be  relaxed,  now  that 
the  Princess  possessed  a  chance  of  offering  an  heir  to  the 
Throne.  She  showed  herself  little,  but  sufficiently  to  assure 
everyone  of  her  condition.  During  this  time,  the  prepara- 
tions were  continuing  for  the  assassin's  trial.  He  refused  to 
employ  an  advocate,  insisting  upon  defending  himself.  He 
talked  at  great  length  to  little  purpose,  and  was  executed 
on  the  Place  de  Greve  in  the  course  of  June  1820.  I  slept 
at  the  Tuileries,  scarcely  ever  leaving  the  Palace  except, 
at  rare  intervals,  to  go  and  see  my  husband  and  children. 

On  the  28th  of  September,  we  breakfasted  with  Her 
Royal  Highness  in  a  little  summer-house,  which  was  con- 
cealed amid  the  shrubberies  at  the  end  of  the  water-terrace 
giving  on  the  Place  Louis  XV.  The  Princess's  features 
bore  an  air  of  repose ;  if  they  did  not  denote  gaiety,  at 
least  there  was  in  the  atmosphere,  that  morning,  a  sort  of 
serenity.  She  walked  briskly  along  the  terrace,  following 
with  interest  the  movements  of  a  regiment  which  was 
passing  at  the  same  time  along  the  quay  beneath.  She 
made  no  complaint  during  the  day,  and  when,  at  eleven 
o'clock  at  night,  her  accoucheur,  M.  Deneux,  who  was 
staying  at  the  Chateau,  came  as  usual  to  enquire  after  her 
health  before  retiring  to  bed,  she  sent  him  away  quietly, 
and  bade  us  all  good-night.  I  went  up  to  my  room,  which 
was  above  Monsieur's ;  it  was  on  the  second  floor,  but  I 
had  nevertheless  about  a  hundred  steps  to  climb.     I  had 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  355 

been  suffering  clurinf^  the  day  from  a  violent  headache,  and 
I  had  just  fallen  asleep  with  the  soundness  which  usually 
follows  after  such  a  day,  when  I  was  precipitately  awakened 
by  three  violent  knocks  at  my  door,  through  which  a  foot- 
man shouted  to  me  to  come  down  to  Her  Royal  Highness 
without  delay.  I  slipped  on  a  skirt,  threw  a  large  shawl 
over  my  shoulders,  and  ran  down  the  huge  staircase,  on 
which  reigned  an  unaccustomed  movement ;  it  was  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning.  This  movement  grew  into  a  block 
as  I  drew  near  to  the  bed-room,  and  I  had  difficulty  in 
entering.  Among  others  who  disputed  the  passage  with 
me  was  the  Duchesse  de  Gontaut,  in  her  dressing-gown 
and  night-cap,  dragging  a  young  National  Guard  by  the 
hand. 

"  Come,"  she  said  to  him,  "  let  us  lose  no  time." 

I  followed  her,  stupefied.  I  saw  confusedly  a  number  of 
other  people  moving  around  the  bed  of  Mile,  la  Duchesse 
de  Berry,  who  was  sitting  up,  barely  leaning  upon  one  of 
her  elbows,  and  when  she  caught  sight  of  me,  cried  : 

"  It's  a  Henry— look  !  " 

She  showed  me  a  new-born  child  lying  against  her  upon 
the  coverlet.  I  turned  a  look  aghast  upon  the  surrounding 
persons  ;  there  was  not  an  official  person  among  them. 

"Where  are  the  witnesses,  Madame?"  I  exclaimed. 
"Where  are  the  King  and  the  Royal  Faniil}^?" 

"There  was  no  time  to  warn  people,"  she  said  ;  "I  only 
had  two  pains  :  at  the  first  I  called  for  my  maid,  and  at  the 
second  she  received  my  child.  But  nothing  is  finished  yet 
between  him  and  myself,  and   I  shall  await  the  witnesses 


356  MEMOIRS  OF 

appointed  by  the  King ;  they  will  come  in  addition  to  all 
those  you  see  around  me." 

I  did  not  waste  time  rejoicing  over  the  event,  realizing 
as  I  did  the  importance  of  making  it  as  public  and  official 
as  possible.  In  an  instant  I  was  at  Monsieur's  door.  The 
Baron  de  Saint-Aubin,  his  First  Groom  of  the  Chambers, 
was  in  uniform,  and  seemed  to  expect  somebody. 

"  Tell  Monsieur,"  I  said  to  him,  "  that  Mme.  la  Duchesse 
de  Berry  has  given  birth  to  a  boy :  quick,  quick,  quick  !  " 

"  But,  madame,  I  have  no  right  to  enter  Monsieur's 
room  at  this  time ;  all  I  could  do  was  to  send  for  his 
First  Lord,  the  Due  de  Maille,  who  will  be  here  in  a 
moment." 

"  Don't  wait  for  anybody,"  I  said  ;  "  if  you  will  not  tell 
Monsieur,  let  me  pass,  and  I  will  tell  him  myself:  it  is 
urgent." 

I  spoke  with  authority ;  he  went  in  front,  and  there  we 
stood  before  the  bed  of  the  good  Prince,  who  was  sleeping 
soundly. 

"  Wake  the  Prince,"  I  said  to  M.  de  Saint-Aubin,  who 
thereupon  began  to  shout : 

"  Monsieur,  Monsieur  !  " 

No  result. 

"  Well  then,  shake  the  Prince,"  I  said,  losing  my  patience 
with  the  worthy  servant,  who  dared  not  lay  his  hand  upon 
his  master.  He  ended,  however,  by  taking  him  by  the 
shoulder  and  continuing  to  shout : 

"  Monsieur,  Monsieur  !  " 

The  Prince  then  sat  up  with  a  bound,  and  rubbing  his 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT 


357 


eyes,  looked  at  me  with  a  startled  air.  I  told  him  of  the 
facts. 

"What !  "  he  said.  "  You  come  and  tell  me  when  all  is 
over ! " 

"The  accoucheur  himself  was  not  there,  Monseigneur," 
I  replied. 

At  that  moment  the  Due  de  Maille  entered  the  room. 

"And  what  were  you  doing  all  this  time  .^  "  asked  Mon- 
seigneur. "We  are  late,  go  and  tell  the  King  at  once 
from  me." 

Without  any  further  explanation,  the  Due  de  ]\Iaille 
rushed  to  Louis  XVIII.,  who  was  being  dressed.  He 
had  the  door  opened  in  Monsieur's  name,  and  told  the 
King  that  he  had  come  to  inform  him  that  Mme.  la 
Duchesse  de  Berry  was  in  labour,  for  that  was  all  the  good 
duke  had  understood.  Louis  XVIII.,  who  knew  more 
than  he,  received  this  announcement  with  a  sly  smile,  and 
said  : 

"  I  am  happy  to  be  the  first  to  inform  you  that  my  niece 
has  been  safely  delivered  of  a  boy,  and  that  mother  and 
child  are  doing  well." 

On  returning  to  the  Princess's  bedroom,  I  found  the 
official  witnesses,  Marshal  Due  de  Coigny  and  Marshal 
Due  d'Albufcra,  who,  together  with  a  number  of  others 
whom  chance,  or  rather  providence,  had  brought  there,  had 
come  in  time  to  assist  at  Her  Royal  Highness's  delivery. 
The  King,  Monsieur,  M.  le  Due  and  Mme.  la  Duchesse 
d'Angouleme  arrived  in  the  room,  which  was  crowded  to 
suffocation.     An   alarming  pallor  had  succeeded  the  first 


358  MEMOIRS  OF 

animation  on  the  Princess's  features.  The  accoucheur  grew 
alarmed,  and  entreated  everybody  to  go  out.  Fresh  air 
and  care  restored  Hfe  to  the  courageous  Princess,  for  whom 
I  had  really  for  an  instant  trembled.  During  this  painful 
moment,  of  which  I  was  the  only  observer,  if  I  except  the 
accoucheur  and  the  nurse  (Mme.  Lemoine),  all,  commencing 
with  the  King,  had  eagerly  surrounded  the  new-born  Prince, 
who  was  small,  but  very  lively.  The  Orleans  Princes,  who 
had  been  quickly  summoned,  formed  part  of  the  group  sur- 
rounding the  child  when  I,  in  my  turn,  went  to  look  at  him, 
and  gave  him  my  silent  blessing  for  having  at  last  arrived 
safely  in  port  after  so  many  storms ! 

During  the  rest  of  that  night  the  Tuileries  were  full  of 
people.  The  first  rays  of  daylight  lit  up  a  state  of  joy 
which  seemed  universal.  The  hundred-and-one  salvoes  of 
cannon  which  announced  the  new-born's  sex  explained  the 
turbulent  delight  of  the  great  city.  My  husband  was  on 
duty,  as  Major-General  of  the  National  Guard.  Desiring 
the  troops  which  he  commanded  to  make  a  display  of  their 
feelings,  he  distributed  to  the  soldiers  a  number  of  cart- 
ridges, each  of  which  was  to  shoot  out  its  rocket.  Mme.  la 
Duchesse  de  Berry,  hearing  of  this  arrangement,  which  was 
to  take  place  the  same  evening  in  the  gardens  of  the 
Tuileries,  had  her  bed  moved  to  the  windows,  so  that  she 
might  take  part  in  the  sight.  This  showed  that,  thanks  be 
to  God,  her  condition  had  become  satisfactory. 

I  have  mentioned  a  young  National  Guard  whom  the 
Duchesse  de  Gontaut  led  into  Mme.  la  Duchesse  de  Berry's 
room.    To  explain  this  incident  and  some  other  particulars 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  359 

of  the  memorable  hour  which  witnessed  the  birth  of  M.  le 
Due  de  Bordeaux,  I  must  return  to  the  first  pang's  which 
awakened  his  mother  soon  after  she  had  gone  to  sleep  and 
made  her  call  out  for  the  waiting- woman  on  duty,  who  was 
sleeping  near  her.  Mme.  Bourgeois  rushed  to  the  bed,  and 
at  the  second  cry  she  received  the  child.  ...  It  was 
necessary  at  the  same  time  to  call  for  help.  What  a  posi- 
tion !  But  Her  Royal  Highness's  energy  made  everything 
easy.  A  single  summons  from  the  footman  sleeping  in 
the  ante-chamber  to  the  Groom  of  the  Chambers  near  at 
hand,  soon  spread,  first  over  the  Chateau,  and  then  through 
the  different  posts  of  the  Gardes  du  Corps,  the  Royal  Guard 
and  the  National  Guard.  I  do  not  know  what  inspired  M. 
Sauton  with  the  happy  thought  to  ask  the  sentry  of  the 
National  Guard  to  hand  him  his  musket,  while  he,  the 
National  Guard,  went  to  fulfil  an  important  mission  in 
Her  Royal  Highness's  apartments.  It  was  at  this  moment 
that  the  Duchesse  de  Gontaut,  hearing  of  this  opportunity 
and  eagerly  seizing  it,  hastened  the  steps  of  the  young  man, 
who  thus  became  one  of  the  legal  witnesses  of  the  Prince's 
birth,  together  with  myself.  M.  Laisne,  as  he  was  called, 
thus  placed  his  signature  near  those  of  the  two  marshals  of 
France  above-named.  I  am  almost  sure  that  a  Grenadier 
of  the  same  company  arrived  at  the  same  time  as  M.  Laisne, 
and  was  the  fourth  signatory  ;  but  I  am  not  t[uite  certain 
of  this  fact,  and  I  do  not  remember  the  last  one's  name. 
For  that  matter,  the  room,  when  I  entered  it,  was  full  of  a 
number  of  different  persons  whom  I  did  not  take  time,  as 
you    know,  to  distinguish;    but   I   since    learnt   from    Ilcr 


360  MEMOIRS  OF 

Royal  Highness  that  she  employed  them  all  without  dis- 
tinction of  rank  upon  the  various  things  to  be  done. 
"  Light  the  candles,"  she  said  to  one  ;  to  another,  "  Please 
unfasten  my  dog  and  send  him  out  of  the  room."  This 
referred  to  a  large  spaniel  who  slept  at  the  foot  of  her 
bed  ;  he  was  white  as  snow,  with  curly  hair ;  his  name  was 
Chicor^e. 

Mme.  la  Duchesse  de  Berry  had  made  a  vow  during  her 
pregnancy  to  visit  Notre-Dame  de  Liesse  after  her  re- 
covery, but  this  plan  was  postponed  until  after  the  baptism, 
which  took  place  at  Notre-Dame  with  all  possible  pomp  in 
May  1 82 1.  The  Court  and  the  town  of  Paris  indulged  in 
brilliant  festivities,  and  all  passed  off  well.  Mme.  la 
Duchesse  had  laid  aside  her  mourning  on  the  joyful 
occasion  of  this  birth  of  an  Heir  to  the  Throne. 

I  was  very  tired  at  that  time,  and  not  at  all  well.  I 
obtained  a  month's  leave,  but  upon  condition  that  I  should 
first  accompany  Her  Royal  Highness  upon  the  pilgrimage 
of  which  I  have  spoken.  After  the  touching  ceremony,  and 
Madame's  communion  at  Liesse,  we  made  several  excur- 
sions in  the  Department  of  the  Aisne.  Soon  after,  my 
health  becoming  worse  rather  than  improving,  I  obtained 
a  longer  leave  than  I  had  at  first  hoped  for,  and  we  all 
went  to  Jeand'heurs  for  the  best  part  of  the  summer.  It 
was  there  that  we  learnt  the  death  of  the  Emperor. 

Being  absent  from  Paris,  we  did  not  hear  many  details 
concerning  the  reception  of  the  news  in  the  Capital. 
General  Rapp,  formerly  an  aide-de-camp  of  the  Em- 
peror's, although  devoted  to  his  memory,  had  nevertheless 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  36  r 

accepted  a  place  at  the  Court  of  Louis  XVIII.  He  was 
in  attendance  upon  His  Majesty  when  the  latter  received 
the  news.  The  King  heard  a  cry  of  regret,  and  turning 
round,  saw  Rapp's  manly  features  covered  with  tears. 

"  Weep  without  restraint,   my  dear  general,"  said    the 
King ;  "  I  understand  and  pity  your  natural  sorrow." 

The  political  position  of  Mme.  la  Duchesse  assumed  a 
growing  importance  in  the  measure  that  her  son  prospered 
and  she  herself  became  better  known.  Good-hearted, 
easy-going,  affable,  loving  the  arts,  she  revealed  qualities 
which  inspired  general  sympathy.  I  had  first  been  allowed 
one  secretary,  and  soon  I  required  two.  I  had  chosen  the 
first  in  my  husband's  offices :  he  was  the  son  of  Mme 
Morel,  the  lady's  maid  who  had  followed  me  to  Russia,  and 
to  whom  we  had  given  the  post  of  housekeeper  in  Paris. 
Her  son  had  received  a  very  good  education  ;  he  was 
intelligent,  and  full  of  delicacy  and  tact,  qualities  ex- 
ceptionally suitable  for  the  functions  which  he  had  to 
fulfil,  for  I  often  brought  him  into  contact  with  Her  Rowil 
Highness  ;  and  particularly  during  my  short  absences,  he 
was  called  upon  to  work  with  her  direct.  This  work  was 
divided  into  different  parts:  first  the  accounts  of  the  budget 
which  the  Mistress  of  the  Robes  disposed  of;  next,  the 
correspondence,  which  covered  every  subject,  since  people 
applied  to  Her  Ro}  al  1  lighness  to  try  and  obtain  ever\-  kind 
of  benefit  and  favour  of  which  the  French  are  so  greedy. 

I  broke  the  seals  of  between  ten  and  fifteen  letters  a  day. 
I    had    grown    accustomed    to    the   petitionary  style,  and 

learnt  to  appreciate  the  leading  point  of  the  question.     If 

24 


362  MEMOIRS  OF 

it  was  a  request  for  private  assistance,  except  when  it 
represented  some  special  interest,  I  sent  it  to  the  First 
Almoner,  the  Bishop  of  Amiens,  or  else  to  the  private 
secretary,  the  Marquis  de  Sassenay.  If  it  was  a  request 
for  help  for  a  church  or  other  public  institution,  I  placed  it 
in  my  day-to-day  portfolio,  which  contained  all  the  other 
requests  of  lesser  or  greater  importance.  I  made  out  a 
list  of  all  these,  and  took  it  to  the  Tuileries  on  the  days 
appointed  for  this  work.  I  returned  with  the  Princess's 
verbal  replies ;  these  I  immediately  noted  on  the  corner 
of  the  letters,  and  then,  summoning  M.  Morel,  I  added  the 
necessary  explanations,  and  instructed  him  to  bring  me 
the  replies  which  he  had  written  from  my  notes.  I  never 
signed  these  replies  without  first  attentively  reading  them, 
and  yet  I  had  very  rarely  to  correct  his  work,  in  spite 
of  the  delicacy  of  treatment  required,  which  I  would  not 
have  met  with  in  every  secretary. 

On  the  3rd  of  February  1822,  I  gave  birth  to  my  son 
Henry.  This  birth  of  a  fourth  son  was  received  with 
rapture.  My  husband  went  off  to  the  Tuileries  to  announce 
his  paternal  satisfaction,  and  brought  me,  on  his  return, 
the  news  of  the  kind  phrases  with  which  the  news  had 
been  received.  About  the  same  time  I  lost  my  dear  Aunt 
Clotilde  de  Coucy,  and  shortly  after,  I  suffered  a  yet 
crueller  affliction  :  my  beloved  and  saintly  mother  was 
taken  from  me.  She  died  in  my  arms  on  All  Saints' 
Day  1822,  surrounded  and  mourned  by  my  husband  and 
all  her  family.  On  our  return  to  Paris  we  received  the 
most  touching  marks  of  sympathy  from  the  Royal  Family, 


MARSHAL  OUDINOr  363 

and  I  only  partly  resumed  my  duties,  owing  to  my  deep 
mourning. 

In  the  winter  of  1822,  there  arose  a  prospect  of  war 
between  France  and  Spain,  where  the  revolutionaries  were 
becoming  formidable.  The  Cortes  had  removed  to  Cadiz, 
where  they  kept  Ferdinand  VII.  in  their  power.  At  first 
there  was  a  great  political  question  in  dispute.  Opinions 
were  violently  divided  on  this  principal  point.  This  was 
the  first  time  that  the  French  army  had  been  mobilized 
since  it  had  hoisted  the  white  flag.  All  our  minds  were 
greatly  agitated.  I  foresaw  that  a  command  would  be 
offered  to  the  Marshal,  from  whom  I  expected  to  be 
separated  for  an  indefinite  period,  I  recalled  the  struggle 
of  the  Spaniards  in  1808,  and  this  recollection  did  not  tend 
to  raise  my  spirits.  All  was  promptly  decided.  Various 
army  corps,  commanded  by  the  Marshals  of  France,  were 
organised  during  the  course  of  the  winter.  M.  le  Due 
d'Angouleme  was  appointed  Generalissimo,  and  my 
husband  received  orders  to  march  upon  IMadrid  at  the 
head  of  the  ist  Corps.  lie  reorganized  his  staff,  which 
he  selected  both  from  among  his  old  officers  and  those  who 
came  in  crowds  to  beg  to  be  chosen  for  this  service,  which 
brought  them  into  personal  contact  with  him. 

Still  saddened  by  my  recent  loss  and  distressed  at  this 
separation,  I  was  profoundly  discouraged  when  my  hus- 
band set  out  on  the  12th  of  March  1823.  But  the 
campaign  was  purely  a  political  one  for  your  father. 
He  was  not  wounded,  for  he  did  not  fight ;  but  although 
he  was  physically  spared,  he  had  much  to  suffer  morally, 


364  MEMOIRS  OF 

in  consequence  of  the  difficult  mission  which  was  entrusted 
to  him.  To  keep  order  in  a  capital  deserted  by  the 
Government,  in  a  country  where  political  passion  runs 
so  high,  was  a  task  worthy  of  his  genius.  More  than  any 
other  analogous  occasion,  it  offered  opportunities  to  the 
Marshal  to  display  his  habitual  tact  and  to  exercise  his 
well-known  humanity.  He  had  much  to  think  of,  and 
much  to  do  ;  but  his  labour  was  not  lost,  and  moreover 
his  spirit  of  conciliation  and  generosity  was  supported  by 
the  will  and  inclinations  of  the  Prince  Generalissimo.  The 
place  of  honour  had  been  reserved  for  the  latter,  that 
place  where  the  fighting  was  expected  ;  he  had  demanded 
it,  and  with  justice.  And  indeed  it  was  he  who,  by  attack- 
ing the  Trocadero,  delivered  the  King  of  Spain  from  the 
tyranny  of  his  Chambers.  I  will  not  go  into  the  question 
whether  or  not  Ferdinand  VII.  made  a  good  use  of  the 
power  which  we  restored  to  him ;  but  what  I  will  say  is 
that  the  French  Prince,  after  valiantly  and  humanely 
fulfilling  the  task  which  the  King  his  uncle  had  laid  upon 
him,  did  not  wait  to  receive  the  thanks  of  the  Sovereign 
whom  he  had  saved,  and  returned  to  France  without 
seeing  Ferdinand  VII. 

Our  army,  which  had  preserved  admirable  discipline,  was 
brought  back  promptly  and  in  good  order  by  all  its  chiefs. 
Your  father  returned  about  the  beginning  of  November, 
and  he  seemed  delivered  of  a  great  weight. 

The  head-quarters  of  the  National  Guard  had  been  trans- 
ferred to  the  fine  mansion  belonging  to  the  Duke  of  Padua, 
who  had  let  it  to  the  City  of  Paris.     I  had  taken  up  my 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  365 

residence  there  durinj^  the  Marshal's  absence.  Wc  liad 
given  particular  care  to  the  decoration  of  his  private 
apartments,  and  he  seemed  vastly  satisfied  with  his  new 
quarters  ;  but  I  was  not  there  when  he  alighted  from  his 
carnage.  He  had  omitted  to  announce  the  time  of  his 
arrival,  and  I  was  sent  for  to  the  Tuileries,  where  I  spent 
the  evenings  daily. 

Not  long  after,  Elisa  was  married  to  M.  Chevalier,  Baron 
de  Caunan.  He  had  long  been  Prefect  of  the  Van  The 
wedding  was  celebrated  in  the  chapel  of  the  Elysee- 
Bourbon  by  M.  I'Abbe  Feutrier,  who  later  became 
Minister  of  Public  Worship.  About  the  same  time  my 
brother  Gustave  de  Coucy  married  the  charming  Mile, 
de  la  Bigne. 

But  I  had  not  much  time  to  devote  to  the  joys  of  the 
family.  Madame  la  Duchesse  de  Berry  had  obtained 
permission  from  the  King  to  visit  part  of  Normandy, 
ending  with  Dieppe,  where  she  was  to  take  sea  baths. 
Her  Pvoyal  Highness  did  not  leave  Saint-Cloud  without 
some  anxiety  about  the  health  of  the  King,  who,  in  spite 
of  his  courage,  seemed  to  have  been  growing  weaker  for 
some  time.  However,  we  set  out,  and  our  first  halt  was 
at  Rouen,  where  we  were  to  make  a  solemn  entry. 

At  the  last  posting-house,  Her  Royal  Highness 
changed  her  travcUing  carriage  for  an  open  Luulau  ;  slio 
was  thus  able  to  see  the  people  and  to  show  herself  to 
them.  The  crowd  became  innumerable  as  we  approached 
the  town,  and  even  if  the  order  had  not  been  given  to 
proceed  at  a  walking  pace,  we  should  have  been  compelled 


366  MEMOIRS  OF 

to  do  so.  Before  long  the  carriage  was  drawn  along  hy- 
men who  had  unharnessed  the  horses.  It  was  impossible 
to  prevent  this  demonstration,  which  in  my  opinion  is 
always  a  dangerous  one. 

Two  days  of  receptions,  of  petitions,  of  evening  fetes, 
composed  the  short  programme  of  our  stay  at  Rouen.  I 
will  take  you  straight  on  to  Dieppe,  where  the  Princess  was 
received  as  one  receives  a  ray  of  hope.  And  in  fact  she 
brought  for  the  time  being  endless  prosperity  to  that  water- 
ing-place, which  till  then  had  been  much  neglected.  She 
encouraged  the  manufacture  of  ivory  and  of  rough  lace  by 
her  purchases  and  orders,  and  she  attracted  a  number  of 
fashionable  visitors.  The  sea-baths  which  we  took  together 
proved  very  beneficial  to  both  of  us,  and  our  stay  would 
have  been  both  satisfactory  and  agreeable  if  the  news  of 
the  King's  health  had  not  been  of  such  a  nature  as  to 
hurry  our  return  to  Paris,  where  it  had  been  thought 
prudent  also  to  bring  His  Majesty,  so  that  he  might  be 
within  reach  of  all  the  physicians. 

The  King,  therefore,  had  returned  from  Saint-Cloud  to 
Paris.  The  feast  of  St.  Louis  was  drawing  near,  and  we 
asked  ourselves  whether  His  Majesty  would  appear.  His 
attendants  wished  to  save  him  the  fatigue  of  this  day,  but 
Louis  XVHL  replied  : 

"  I  will  keep  up  to  the  end.  A  Sovereign  can  die,  but  he 
must  never  be  ill." 

And  in  fact  he  did  appear.  I  had  not  seen  him  for  a 
long  time,  and  when  he  was  rolled  in  his  chair  into  the 
dining-room,  where  we  were  all  standing  and  awaiting  him, 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  367 

according  to  the  rule  on  this  occasion,  I  was  painfully  struck 
at  seeing  how  thin  he  had  grown.  His  coat  had  become  too 
wide  for  him,  his  epaulettes  hung  from  his  shrunk  shoulders, 
his  whole  appearance  filled  one  with  alarm.  At  the  King's 
entrance,  the  trumpets  of  the  Gardes  du  Corps  burst 
into  a  joyish  flourish.  Our  Court  dresses,  embroidered 
with  gold  and  silver,  the  brilliant  uniforms  worn  by  those 
who,  together  with  ourselves,  had  been  admitted  that  day 
to  the  King's  table,  the  flowers  heaped  up  on  every  side 
and  the  dazzling  sun  formed  a  festive  whole  which  rendered 
all  the  more  striking  the  threat  of  a  speedy  dissolution 
that  was  to  be  read  on  the  brow  which  evidently  bent 
beneath  the  weight  of  the  Crown. 

"VVe  sat  down  amid  a  profound  silence  ;  the  music  only 
was  still  heard.  After  bowing  to  the  company  in  general, 
the  King  took  his  place,  as  usual,  at  the  centre  of  the  table; 
but  instead  of  offering  to  each  in  turn  the  choice  between 
the  two  dishes  which  he  had  before  him,  and  that  with  the 
good  grace  which  would  have  served  as  an  example  to  every 
host,  he  gave  way  beneath  the  effort  which  he  had  made, 
his  head  fell  heavily  upon  the  table,  and  in  this  position  the 
King  remained  perfectly  motionless,  while  the  music,  which 
had  not  been  countermanded,  went  on  playing  ! 

Try  and  picture  the  scene,  ni)'  children.  I  was  seated  on 
the  right  of  Monsieur,  the  King's  brother  and  Heir  to  the 
Throne,  which  he  was  so  little  eager  to  ascend. 

*'  Look,"  said  he,  with  ill-restrained  terror,  "  see  what  that 
forebodes ! ' 

I  was  unable  to  reply. 


368  MEMOIRS  OF 

Meantime  the  King,  rousing  himself  from  this  drowsiness 
or  weakness,  whichever  you  prefer  to  call  it,  gradually  rose, 
and  was  taken  back  to  his  room  without  any  further  acci- 
dent. I  never  saw  him  again  out  of  bed.  Nevertheless  he 
continued  to  work  with  his  ministers,  and  this  went  on  more 
or  less  regularly  until  the  week  preceding  his  decease. 

During  these  final  days  I  rarely  left  my  Princess,  who 
even  expressed  the  wish  that  I  should  sleep  at  the  Tuileries. 
We  led  a  sad  life,  as  you  can  well  believe.  Frequent  bul- 
letins were  distributed  among  the  people  of  Paris,  who 
crowded  incessantly  into  the  Place  du  Carrousel.  It  was,  I 
believe,  on  the  i6th  of  September  that  I  returned  to  my 
room  for  a  moment  after  breakfasting  with  Her  Royal 
Highness,  but  was  hurriedly  summoned  to  accompany  her 
to  the  King,  who  was  about  to  receive  the  Last  Sacraments. 
I  entered  his  bed-room,  as  was  my  duty  and  my  right,  and 
while  his  family  knelt  down  before  his  bed-side  within  sight 
of  him,  I  knelt  at  the  foot,  behind  the  green  taffeta  curtain 
which  partly  screened  him  from  my  view ;  but  I  lost 
nothing  of  the  solemn  and  imposing  scene  which  was 
accomplished  before  my  eyes.  The  King,  who  had  pre- 
pared himself,  received  Extreme  Unction  at  the  hands  of 
the  Grand  Almoner  of  France,  and  replied  in  a  distinct 
voice  to  all  that  the  obligations  of  the  sacrament  require. 
Nothing  was  heard  in  the  great  room  but  the  voices  of  the 
priest  and  the  King. 

"  Now,"  said  he  to  his  successor,  who  was  weeping  bit- 
terly, "  come  near  me,  brother,  with  your  children." 

At  these  words,  all  withdrew.     After  this  final  and  inti- 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  369 

mate  interview,  of  which  no  one  had  the  right  or  dreamt  of 
collecting  the  details,  it  was  known  that  the  King  had  said 
to  his  family : 

"  Now  that  my  earthly  mission  is  over,  I  bid  you  fare- 
well ;  leave  me  to  my  duties  towards  Heaven." 

They  all  went  out  overcome  with  emotion,  and  remained, 
like  ourselves,  at  the  Tuileries,  amid  a  perpetual  going  to 
and  fro.  The  doctors  and  personal  attendants  alone  re- 
mained in  the  King's  room,  which  was  never  quitted 
by  the  First  Lord  of  the  Chambers,  the  Due  de  Duras, 
whose  service  it  was.  The  death  agony  commenced  to- 
wards the  evening.  Consciousness  and  power  of  speech 
had  disappeared.  Then  the  Royal  Family  returned  to  the 
bed-side  of  the  dying  Monarch.  The  door  closed  upon  tlie 
great  Galerie  de  Diane,  in  which  were  gathered  all  the 
Households  of  the  King  and  the  Princes,  which  made  up  a 
great  number  of  persons ;  but  nothing  interrupted  the 
gloomy  silence.  The  whole  evening  was  spent  in  this  way, 
and  part  of  the  night. 

About  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  door  leading  to  the 
King's  bedroom  was  opened  to  give  passage  to  a  footman, 
who  returned  almost  immediately  carrying  a  large  crucifix  ; 
then  all  once  again  became  silence  and  immobility.  It  was 
not  until  about  four  o'clock  that  the  door  opened  again, 
this  time  noisily  and  precipitately,  and  we  beheld  the  Due 
de  Duras  coming  forth  in  tears,  who  in  a  loud  \oice  pro- 
nounced the  sacramental  words  : 

"  Gentlemen,  the  King  is  dead.  .  >  .  Long  live  the  King!" 

A   shudder   followed    the   first  words,  but  immediately 


Z-o  MEMOIRS  OF 

there  was  a  general  shout  of  "  Long  live  the  King  !  "  At 
the  same  moment  the  new  King  came  out  from  the  death 
chamber.  His  face  was  bathed  in  tears.  He  made  an 
expressive  gesture  that  the  cheer  which  he  had  just  heard 
was  not  to  be  repeated,  and  hastily  proceeding  towards  the 
Pavilion  Marsan,  taking  no  notice  of  our  crowd  who  fol- 
lowed him,  he  went  to  his  own  apartments. 

A  few  hours  later,  orders  were  given  by  him  who  was 
thenceforth  to  be  known  as  Charles  X.  Dating  from  that 
day,  M.  le  Due  d'Angouleme  bore  the  title  of  Dauphin, 
Mme.  le  Duchesse  d'Angouleme  that  of  Dauphiness,  and 
Mme.  la  Duchesse  became  Madame,  Duchesse  De  Berry. 
It  was  decided  that  the  King,  his  family  and  the  entire 
Household  should  leave  in  the  morning  for  Saint-Cloud. 
The  Marshal  was  on  duty  for  the  Royal  Guard ;  he  conse- 
quently made  the  military  arrangements,  and  I  was  happy 
to  think  that  during  the  first  days  of  the  new  reign  we 
should  be  under  the  same  roof  and  able  to  converse 
privately  upon  all  these  great  events. 

Before  long,  a  number  of  Court  carriages,  with  the  King's 
at  their  head,  set  out  for  Saint-Cloud.  We  drove  at  full 
speed,  when  suddenly  one  of  the  horses  of  the  King's 
carriage  fell  down,  and  naturally  delayed  the  whole 
progress.  This  incident,  of  no  importance  in  itself,  im- 
pressed me  not  a  little  ;  but  on  principle  I  put  aside  any 
idea  of  presentiment,  and  was  careful  not  to  communicate 
to  anybody  the  slight  shock  which  this  had  given  me. 

Chance  had  allotted  me  a  room  which  was  immediately 
above  that  of  the  King.    I  believe  that  Charles  X.  had  pro- 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  371 

visionally  chosen  this  apartment,  on  the  ground -floor, 
because  it  gave  on  to  a  little  private  garden  concealed  from 
view.  I  was  quite  ignorant  of  the  distribution  of  this  part 
of  the  Chateau,  and  when,  after  arranging  my  room,  I  looked 
out  from  my  window,  I  quickly  withdrew  my  head  on  seeing 
the  King  walking  alone  around  that  small  grass-plot.  I 
shall  never  forget  his  attitude,  which  expressed  sorrow  and 
profound  anxiety.  His  head  bent,  his  eyes  fixed  to  the 
ground,  he  seemed  already  weary  of  the  weight  upon  his 
shoulders.  I  forebade  my  maid  to  give  way  to  any  of  the 
acts  of  curiosity  which  might  be  prompted  by  the  near 
presence  of  the  King,  and  I  went  downstairs  to  join  the 
Princess. 


CHAPTER  X 


Visit  to  JeandTieurs — Coronation  of  Charles  X. — An  epigram  of  M.  de  Cor- 
bieres — Impertinence  of  tlie  Austrian  Ambassador,  who  declines  to  give 
Oudinot  the  title  of  Due  de  Reggio — Unpopularity  of  the  Villele  Ministry 
— Review  of  the  National  Guard  —Manifestations  against  the  Government 
— The  National  Guard  is  dissolved — The  Duchesse  de  Berry's  journey  in 
the  South — The  Spanish  Infant — Visit  to  the  Grande-Chartreuse — The 
King  of  Naples — Symptoms  of  hostility  to  Charles  X. — The  Royal  Guard 
reviewed  by  Oudinot — Fete  at  the  Palais- Royal  in  honour  of  the  Neapo- 
litan Court — The  King's  blindness  to  the  facts  of  the  political  situation — 
Opinions  of  Marshal  Marmont — Fall  of  Charles  X. — Letter  from  the 
Duchesse  de  Reggio  to  the  Duchesse  de  Berry — The  latter's  reply — The 
Polignac  trial — The  Oudinot  family  retire  to  Bar-le-Duc — Arrest  of  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry — Generous  offer  of  the  Duchesse  de  Reggio — Heroic 
death  of  Colonel  Auguste  Oudinot  in  Algeria — The  Marshal's  despair 
■ — Marriage  of  Marshal  Oudinot's  daughter  with  the  Comte  de  Vesins 
— Oudinot's  illness — Letter  from  Louis  Napoleon — Charles  Oudinot — 
Marriage  of  the  Marshal's  second  daughter  with  M.  Joseph  Perron — 
Oudinot  appointed  Grand  Chancellor  of  the  Legion  of  Honour — And 
Governor  of  the  Invalides — Death  of  Oudinot. 


The  month  of  May  1825  was  fixed  for  the  coronation, 
which  was  to  take  place  at  Rheims.  At  the  commence- 
ment of  that  month,  Madame,  Duchesse  de  Berry,  told  me 
that  she  was  going  to  start  beforehand,  and  that  she  would 
give  us  a  few  days  at  Jeand'heurs  and  Bar.  The  Marshal  and 
I  hurried  on  in  advance  to  prepare  a  suitable  reception  for 
her  in  our  two  houses.  Part  of  the  Marshal's  children,  all  of 
mine  (who  were  then  very  little),  the  staff  of  the  Royal  and 
National  Guards  and  several  of  our  friends  joined  us  to 
assist  us  in  our  various  cares.  The  witty  Alissan  de  Chazet 
372 


MEMOIRS  OF  MARSHAL  OUDINOT  373 

also  offered  us  his  aid  in  composing  an  occasional  play  in 
which  every  one  was  to  take  part.  Not  far  from  the 
chateau,  in  a  building  forming  part  of  the  paper-works,  we 
arranged  a  temporary  theatre  capable  of  holding  several 
hundreds  of  people.  Lamps  were  prepared  for  the  illu- 
mination of  the  park,  to  which  the  inhabitants  of  Bar  and 
the  neighbourhood  were  invited.  Provisions  were  laid  in 
for  the  supply  of  the  three  or  four  different  tables  necessi- 
tated by  the  various  natures  of  the  Princess's  suite.  I  was 
busily  occupied  with  all  these  arrangements,  when  the 
Marshal,  who,  with  his  usual  temerity,  had  been  trying  to 
subdue  a  Spanish  horse  which  no  one  was  able  to  manage, 
fell  with  the  beast,  which  rose  furiously  and  trampled  upon 
his  body.  He  was  carried  indoors  in  a  fainting  condition. 
This  happened  on  a  Sunday,  and  on  my  return  from 
attending  Mass  in  the  village  with  my  children,  I  saw  all 
my  guests  assembled  on  the  steps.  One  of  them  came 
forward  to  prepare  me  for  the  accident.  The  doctor  of 
the  neighbouroood  had  already  given  the  first  help,  and 
soon  Doctor  Champion  came  and  bled  the  Marshal,  and 
restored  his  power  of  breathing.  Danger  was  thus  averted  ; 
but  I  was  yet  far  from  easy  in  my  mind  when,  two  days 
later,  I  had  to  go  and  await  Madame,  Duchesse  Dc  Perry, 
at  Chalons-sur-Marne,  in  order  to  attend  her  during  the 
official  reception  prepared  for  her.  The  ordinary  pro- 
gramme was  gone  through,  and  the  ne.xt  morning  we  set 
out  for  Jcand'heurs,  accompanied  by  the  numerous  and 
brilliant  suite  which  was  to  surround  Her  Royal  Highness  at 
the  coronation.     We  found  the  Marshal  at  the  park-gates, 


374 


MEMOIRS  OF 


with  his  family  and  his  staff.  My  husband  had  made  an 
effort  worthy  of  his  courage  in  rising  from  his  sick-bed  for 
this  purpose.  AH  the  authorities  and  notablHties  of  Bar 
and  the  neighbourhood  were  also  present.  The  park, 
adorned  by  its  own  natural  beauties,  and  further  decorated 
by  the  presence  of  a  large  number  of  charmingly-dressed 
women,  offered  an  attractive  appearance  with  which  the 
Princess  was  greatly  struck.  She  was  very  natural  and 
made  a  general  pleasant  impression. 

The  illumination  produced  an  admirable  effect ;  both 
when  we  went  to  the  theatre  and  on  our  return,  it  was  in 
all  its  brilliancy.  The  little  piece,  full  of  wit  and  epigram, 
had  the  additional  merit  of  being  performed  by  those  who 
had  been  dining  with  Her  Royal  Highness,  who  amused 
herself  vastly.  When  we  returned  to  the  brilliantly-lighted 
drawing-room,  one  of  the  actors  sat  down  to  the  piano, 
and  the  Princess  danced  with  General  de  Verdiere.  The 
latter  had  kept  on  his  costume  as  a  cantiniere,  in  which  he 
had  just  been  distinguishing  himself  on  the  boards.  This 
man,  remarkable  for  the  excellence  of  his  heart,  his  taste, 
and  his  wit,  brought  into  everything  an  animation  and  a 
grace  all  his  own.  After  the  country-dance,  when  the 
time  to  retire  had  at  last  come,  he  offered  Madame  his 
arm  to  lead  her  to  her  apartments.  We  all  followed,  and 
it  was  an  extraordinary  sight  to  see  the  tiny  Princess 
place  her  hand  upon  the  enormous  arm  of  the  cantiniere 
in  question  and  mounting  the  large  and  majestic  stair- 
case of  Jeand'heurs.  We  were  all  merry  ;  for  General  de 
Verdiere  knew  how  to  ally  incongruity  with  personal  dis- 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  375 

tinction,  and  nothing  ever  removed  the  note  of  good 
breeding  for  which  he  was  so  eminently  remarkable. 

In  spite  of  his  weakness  and  his  great  fatigue,  the 
Marshal  had  borne  better  than  I  expected  the  duties  im- 
posed upon  him  by  circumstances  ;  and  he  managed  to 
recover  sufficient  strength  to  set  out  for  Rheims  at  the 
same  time  as  Her  Royal  Highness  and  myself 

I  occupied  a  small  set  of  rooms,  very  high  up,  beneath 
the  same  roof  as  my  Princess,  at  the  Archbishop's  Palace, 
which  resembled  a  bee-hive,  so  great  was  the  concourse 
of  members  of  the  service  of  the  King  and  of  his  Family. 

The  interior  of  the  Cathedral  had  been  disguised  in  a 
manner  calculated  to  drive  lovers  of  architecture  to  de- 
spair. But  on  the  one  hand,  this  had  given  work  to  a 
number  of  labourers,  and  on  the  other,  it  had  been  con- 
sidered wise  to  revert  to  a  certain  extent  to  the  usages 
and  customs  of  the  old  coronations  at  Rheims.  The  King 
arrived  twenty-four  hours  after  us.  We  went,  as  it  were 
incognito,  with  Madame,  Duchesse  de  Berry,  Madame  la 
Dauphine,  and  both  their  Households,  and  took  up  our 
places  at  privileged  windows  to  watch  the  passing  of  the 
procession.  It  was  magnificent  ;  but  soon  a  sinister 
rumour  was  spread  about,  which  specially  afflicted  the 
Duchesse  de  Damas.  One  of  the  carriages  of  the  pro- 
cession was  not  in  its  place,  and  we  heard  that  this  was  in 
consequence  of  a  serious  accident  which  had  precipitated 
the  equipage  down  a  deep  slope. 

This  was  only  too  true.  It  was  at  Fismcs,  I  believe, 
that  the  noise  of  the  cannon  frightened  the  sixteen  horses 


^76  MEMOIRS  OF 

of  two  of  the  carriages  ;  those  of  the  King  were  courage- 
ously held  in  and  driven  by  the  coachman,  kept  up  their 
headlong  course  without  swerving,  and  finally  calmed 
down  as  they  approached  Rheims  ;  but  the  next  carriage, 
less  well  driven,  was  hurled  down  a  terrible  height,  and 
the  occupants  were  all  more  or  less  hurt.  This  acci- 
dent threw  a  certain  gloom  over  the  rest  of  that  day  and 
those  which  followed.  The  youngest  of  the  four  victims, 
the  Comte  de  Cosse-Brissac,  the  King's  Lord  Steward,  was 
alone  able  to  fulfil  his  functions  at  the  ceremony  ;  he  wore 
a  face  covered  with  contusions  and  his  left  eye  was  con- 
cealed beneath  a  black  bandage  which  he  was  not  able  to 
lay  aside  for  several  days.  The  Due  de  Damas,  the  Due 
d'Avaaray  and  the  Comte  Curial  did  not  appear  at  all. 
The  latter  died  a  few  months  after,  as  the  result,  it  was 
said,  of  his  hurts. 

I  will  not  describe  to  you  in  this  place  the  splendours 
of  this  ceremony,  in  the  course  of  which  Charles  X. 
appeared  in  different  costumes  before  assuming  the  cloak 
covered  with  fleurs-de-lys  which  he  wore  with  infinite 
grace  and  majesty,  enhanced  by  the  brilliancy  of  the 
magnificent  crown  which  adorned  his  noble  brow.  No, 
I  will  not  here  repeat  these  details,  which  you  can 
find  elsewhere  ;  I  only  wish  to  tell  you  of  the  impression 
made  upon  me  when  the  new  King,  dressed  as  I  have 
described,  and  paying  no  heed  to  the  enormous  weight  of 
his  rich  decorations,  which  must  have  been  crushing,  easily 
and  majestically  ascended  the  immense  staircase  which  had 
been  erected  in  the  centre  of  the  nave,  and  from  the  seat 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT 


377 


on  which  he  took  his  place,  opened  an  immense  cage  and 
set  free  a  mass  of  birds  which  flew  off  in  every  direction 
beneath  the  magnificent  arches  of  the  Cathedral.  This 
was  a  symbol  of  the  oath  which  ensured  the  liberty  and 
well-being  of  the  people,  a  graceful  image  which  dated 
back  to  many  centuries  ago. 

The  banquet  took  place  at  about  five  o'clock.  The 
Princesses  took  no  part  in  it ;  but  a  gallery  had  been 
erected  for  them  in  a  corner  of  the  great  hall,  where  they 
were  considered  not  to  be  present.  Nevertheless,  we  were 
all  in  full  Court  dress,  covered  with  gold  and  silver,  a 
glittering  harness  which  we  wore  for  some  fifteen  or 
eighteen  hours  in  all. 

A  throne  with  two  steps  had  been  erected  at  one  end 
of  the  immense  hall.  On  the  first  step  was  laid  a  table 
with  a  single  cover,  and  the  same  on  the  second.  At  the 
foot  of  this  double  throne  stretched  a  table  of  prodigious 
length,  destined  for  the  great  French  and  foreign  digni- 
taries, the  ministers,  marshals,  ambassadors  and  so  forth, 
who  were  all  standing  in  their  places  awaiting  the  en- 
trance of  the  King  and  M.  Ic  Dauphin.  The  latter  was 
dressed  like  his  father  in  a  cloak  with  the  fleurs-de-lys  ; 
only  his  cloak  was  shorter,  and  his  crown  open  at  the 
top.  The  King's,  which  was  the  finest  I  ever  saw  in 
my  life,  was  closed  by  an  enormous  fleur-de-lys,  com- 
posed of  the  finest  diamonds  in  the  world  ;  the  centre  leaf 
contained  the  diamond  known  as  the  Regent.  The  King, 
with  the  dignity  natural  to  him,  slowly  reached  the  throne, 
followed  by  his  son  ;   they   sat  down,  each  on   his   step  ; 


378  MEMOIRS  OF 

and  then  everyone  sat  down  at  the  long  table,  and — a 
strange  sight — in  imitation  of  the  King  and  the  Heir 
Apparent,  who  dined  with  their  crowns  on  their  heads,  all 
put  on  their  hats,  and  ate  with  their  heads  covered. 

I  pass  on  to  the  year  1826,  which  opened  under  good 
auspices.  The  Marshal's  health  was  perfect ;  my  children 
were  growing  up.  Their  heart  and  intelligence  left  nothing 
to  be  desired  ;  my  dear  step-daughter  Stephanie  brought 
immense  sweetness  into  our  home.  Of  my  two  sons,  one 
was  still  in  command  at  Saumur,  the  other  was  doing  well 
in  his  regiment,  and  had  every  chance  of  a  rapid  pro- 
motion. But  though  our  personal  interests  were  satisfac- 
tory, the  Marshal  and  I  still  retained  a  frequent,  vague 
anxiety  concerning  the  future  of  the  Government.  Placed 
so  near  to  the  King  and  the  Princess,  and  knowing  so  well 
their  loyalty  and  their  goodwill  for  the  prosperity  of  France 
and  the  general  happiness,  we  were  often  alarmed  at  the 
illusions  of  their  immediate  following.  Charles  X.'s  popu- 
larity had  been  only  temporary.  The  Villele  I\Iinistry, 
composed  of  honest  men  but  ignorant  of  the  manner  in 
which  to  conceal  what  is  often  necessarily  severe  in  the 
methods  of  government,  frequently  irritated  public  opinion. 

To  give  an  idea  of  the  want  of  etiquette  which  distin- 
guished some  of  the  ministers,  I  will  tell  you  how  the 
Comte  de  Corbieres,  Minister  of  the  Interior,  was  one  day 
working  in  the  King's  closet  (this  was  under  Louis  XVIII., 
but  quite  towards  the  end  of  his  reign),  and  absorbed  by  the 
subject  of  his  work;  persisted  in  assiduously  taking  snuff 
and  placing  his  snuff-box  on  the  King's  desk.     The  King 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  379 

watched  this  familiarity  from  the  corner  of  his  eye,  but 
without  growing  angry,  and  soon  the  Minister's  pocket- 
handkerchief  was  pLaccd  by  the  side  of  the  snuff-box. 

"  But,  Monsieur  de  Corbieres,"  said  the  King,  at  last, 
"you  appear  to  be  emptying  your  pockets." 

"Perhaps  so.  Sire,"  replied  the  other;  "but  I  should 
think  that  was  better  than  filling  them." 

The  speech  was  a  happy  one,  for  Corbieres  was  a  man 
of  noted  integrity. 

When  her  mourning  was  over,  Madame,  Duchesse  de 
Berry,  who  took  precedence  immediately  after  Mme.  la 
Dauphine,  and  who,  by  the  latter's  desire,  had,  as  mother 
of  the  future  King  of  France,  to  place  herself  very  much 
in  view  of  the  people,  began  to  receive  on  a  large 
scale.  Sometimes  there  were  theatrical  and  musical  per- 
formances, sometimes  balls,  invitations  for  whicii  were 
eagerly  sought  after.  It  fell  to  me  to  send  out  these 
invitations  in  Madame's  name.  Wlio  will  ever  know  the 
multiplicity  of  cares  and  correspondence  entailed  by 
the  avidity  with  which  invitations  to  these  lvo}al 
parties  were  desired  ?  Not  only  did  all  want  to  be 
admitted  to  Her  Royal  Highness's  evenings,  but  also  to 
receive  invitations  for  their  relations  and  friends.  To 
obtain  an  invitation,  every  one  had  first  to  have  been 
presented  at  Court  ;  onl)-  }-oung  girls  were  exeni[)te(l 
from  this  formality. 

In  May,  we  went  to  Jeand'heurs.  In  the  beginning  of 
July,  I  returned  alone  for  my  service,  which  I  was  never 
able  to  neglect  for  long.     The  Court  was  at  SaintClcnid  ; 


38o  MEMOIRS  OF 

I  went  to  and  fro  at  all  times  of  the  day.  At  the  com- 
mencement of  August,  I  went  to  Dieppe  with  Madame, 
Duchesse  de  Berry.  We  returned  in  September,  and  I 
found  the  Marshal  on  duty  at  Saint-Cloud,  where  I  joined 
him.  When  his  time  was  up,  we  left  for  Jeand'heurs,  each 
with  leave  for  three  months,  which  carried  us  to  the 
25th  of  December.  Frequent  hunting  parties  and  a 
numerous  gathering  of  friends  did  much  to  enliven  this 
period ;  but  I  did  not  derive  as  much  pleasure  from  it  as 
generally,  because  I  was  suffering  in  health.  On  the 
Government  side,  all  seemed  sooner  or  later  to  threaten, 
if  not,  as  yet,  the  reigning  Dynasty,  at  least  its  security. 
The  Villele  Ministry  continued  exceedingly  unpopular, 
in  spite  of  its  averred  honesty  and  the  financial  capacity 
of  the  Premier. 

We  arrived  in  Paris  from  Jeand'heurs  at  the  end  of 
December.  We  had  hardly  alighted  from  our  carriage, 
when  we  saw  coming  up  to  us  the  Comte  Charles  de 
Mornay,  a  pleasant  young  member  of  the  Marshal's  stafif, 
in  whom  my  husband  took  a  great  interest, 

"Well,  what's  the  news,  Mornay?"  asked  the  Marshal. 

"The  most  important,"  he  replied,  "is  that  they  are 
unbaptizing  the  Marshals  of  France." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Count  Apponyi,  the  new  Austrian  Ambassador,  has 
begun  his  receptions,  but  he  refuses  to  admit  the  great 
dignitaries  of  the  Empire  except  under  their  surnames, 
and  declines  to  acknowledge  territorial  titles  taken  from 
countries  which  we  have  conquered." 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  38. 

"  Nonsense  !  "  replied  the  Marshal.    "  That's  impossible." 

We  talked  of  other  things,  and  went  to  bed.  The  next 
day,  while  I  was  sitting  after  dinner  with  the  Marshal, 
who  was  smoking  his  pipe  in  his  study,  our  letters  were 
brought  to  us,  including  an  invitation  for  the  Marshal  and 
myself  for  the  aforesaid  Ambassador's  ball :  there  was  no 
mention  of  the  name  of  Reggio.  I  protested  ;  but  the 
Marshal  made  no  reply.  His  calmness  astonished  me,  but 
all  was  explained  when  I  saw  him  return  the  next  morning 
from  a  walk  he  had  taken  after  breakfast. 

"  I  have  just  returned  from  the  P'orcign  Minister's,"  he 
said.  "  I  frightened  him  out  of  his  life  by  telling  him  that 
I  intended  to  call  out  that  Austrian  Ambassador  of  his 
if  he  persisted  in  playing  the  master  over  us.  Damas 
knows  me,  and  trembling  all  over  and  very  e.xcited,  he 
begged  me  to  do  nothing  and  to  write  nothing  until  he 
had  laid  the  affair  before  the  King.     I  agreed  to  wait." 

All  the  marshals  who  bore  Austrian  titles  took  the 
matter  up  and  complained  to  the  King.  The  public 
showed  its  interest.  Your  father  was  lauded  to  the 
skies  and  told  that,  if  he  were  recognized  at  the  theatre, 
where  he  often  went  to  spend  an  hour,  he  would  be 
applauded.  You  can  imagine  that  he  abstained  from 
that  pleasure  for  some  time!  On  the  other  hand,  Count 
and  Countess  Apponyi  tried  to  appease  the  storm  which 
they  had  raised. 

All  did  not  end  here,  however;  the  opinion  of  I'aris 
society  was  divided  concerning  this  incident.  A  small 
minority   was    in    favour    of   the    Austrian    Ambassador, 


382  MEMOIRS  OF 

who  tempted  fortune  by  giving  another  ball  a  few  days 
later.  He  had  every  reason  to  regret  it ;  the  army  and 
notably  the  Gardes  du  Corps  stayed  away  ;  the  majority 
of  notabilities  followed  suit ;  and  M.  le  Dauphin,  who 
had  pronounced  himself  very  strongly  on  the  French 
side,  gave  his  thorough  approval.  No  Oudinot  ever  set 
foot  after  that  in  the  Austrian  Embassy,  although  the 
Ambassador  declared  that  he  had  made  a  mistake  in 
refusing  the  title  of  Reggio  to  Marshal  Oudinot ;  but 
as  he  went  on  to  explain  that  this  title  was  taken  from 
Reggio  in  Calabria  and  not  from  the  Austrian  Reggio 
(which  was  true),  the  question  remained  the  same  for  the 
Marshal  and  his  family,  for  it  was  the  principle,  rather 
than  the  personal  fact,  with  which  we  were  concerned. 

The  discredit  in  which  the  Ministry  was  held  continued 
to  increase,  and  reacted  in  a  visible  manner  upon  the 
feelings  of  the  crowd  towards  the  Royal  Family.  The 
Marshal  was  in  a  better  position  than  others  to  observe 
this,  being  at  the  head  of  the  Paris  civic  militia,  towards 
which  those  in  power  seemed  to  grow  more  and  more 
indifferent. 

"Sire,"  he  said  to  Charles  X.,  "the  National  Guard, 
which  no  longer  regards  itself  as  being  so  necessary  as  in 
the  disastrous  days  when  it  alone  maintained  peace  in  Paris, 
is  now  only  sustained  by  the  confidence  which  it  believes 
itself  to  have  inspired,  and  which  for  some  time  earned  for 
it  Your  Majesty's  favour.  This  favour  seems  to  be  gradually 
diminishing  ;  the  King  no  longer  calls  the  National  Guard 
out  as  he  used  to  in  the  past,  when  it  was  proud  of  being 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  383 

inspected  by  its  General-in-Chief,  wearing  its  uniform, 
and  I  do  not  know  to  what  Icnc^ths  its  discouragement 
would  go,  if  it  were  not  revived  once  a  year  by  the  day 
which  places  the  King  and  his  Family  under  its  exclusive 
care ! " 

To  explain  this  speech,  I  must  allude  to  a  fact  which 
dates  back  to  the  12th  of  April,  1814,  the  day  of  the  entry 
of  M.  le  Comte  d'Artois  into  Paris.  As  Lieutenant-General 
of  the  Kingdom,  he  had  promised  the  National  Guard, 
which  was  at  that  time  the  only  force  under  arms,  to  grant 
it  on  each  anniversary  of  that  day  the  privilege  of  guarding 
the  Sovereign,  in  memory  of  the  day  on  which  it  performed 
that  glorious  service.  And  in  fact  the  Royal  Guard 
outside  and  the  Gardes  du  Corps  inside  the  Tuilcrics,  in 
spite  of  the  annoyance  this  caused  them,  were  obliged  to 
surrender  their  posts  on  that  day  to  the  National  Guard. 
Their  Commander-in-Chief  placed  the  sentries,  gave  out 
the  pass-word,  and  fulfilled  the  duties  of  Captain  of  the 
Guards.  In  a  word,  the  King,  his  Family  and  his  Palace 
were  handed  over  for  twenty-four  hours  to  the  charge  of 
the  Parisian  militia. 

Things  went  on  thus  till  the  month  of  April  1827,  when 
one  morning  the  King  said  to  the  Marshal,  who  had  once 
more  raised  the  question  : 

"Well,  let  us  clear  this  matter  up,  my  dear  Marshal.  I 
understand  that  you  reproach  me  with  not  calling  out  your 
troops  for  a  long  time  !  " 

"Yes,  Sire;  I  think  you  should  either  politely  send  us 
about   our  business,  or  else  continue  the  marks  of  con- 


384  MEMOIRS  OF 

fidence  which  it  seems  to  me  we  have  not  ceased  to 
deserve." 

"Well  then,  give  ^orders  for  a  review  to  be  held  in  the 
Champ-de-Mars  on  the  29th  of  April." 

The  Marshal  at  once  instructed  the  officers  of  his  staff. 
The  chiefs  of  the  thirteen  legions  of  the  National  Guard, 
including  the  cavalry,  commanded  by  the  Due  de  Fitz- 
James,  were  informed  of  this  arrangement,  of  which  all  felt 
the  importance. 

The  anniversary  of  the  12th  of  April  followed  shortly 
after  the  King's  decision  and  fell  two  or  three  weeks  before 
the  great  event.  Never  had  the  King  shown  himself  more 
gracious  towards  the  National  Guard  than  he  did  on  that 
1 2th  of  April;  every  one  was  charmed,  and  your  father 
came  home  very  satisfied  with  his  sleepless  night.  For  he 
never  went  to  bed  during  the  twenty-four  hours  of  his 
responsibility. 

Always  easy-going,  Madame,  Duchesse  de  Berry  excused 
me  as  often  as  possible  from  my  duties  in  attendance; 
but  I  was  very  eager  to  be  present  at  this  review,  for 
which  the  Princesses  prepared  during  some  days  with  an 
increasing  alarm  which  displayed  itself  in  their  anxious 
demeanour  and  in  half-words  which  I  caught  here  and 
there.  It  was  quite  clear  that  their  Royal  Highnesses  had 
been  prepared  by  some  mischief-maker  to  expect  a  hostile 
demonstration  on  the  part  of  the  twenty  thousand  men 
gathered  under  arms  on  the  Champ-de-Mars. 

When  the  day  came,  I  took  my  place  in  the  calash 
following  that  containing  the  King  and  his  family.     The 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  385 

rising  ground  surrounding  the  Champ-de-Mars  was  literally 
covered  with  an  evidently  turbulent  and  excited  crowd. 
We  could  not  clearly  distinguish  the  cries  they  uttered. 
There  was  a  brilliant  sunshine  which  drew  flashes  from  the 
long  rows  of  bayonets  drawn  up  in  line  on  the  Champ-de- 
Mars.  The  carriages  drew  up  beneath  the  balcony  of  the 
Military  School.  The  King  and  M.  le  Dauphin  alighted 
from  their  carriage  to  mount  their  horses.  The  Marshal, 
saluting  with  his  svv'ord  with  his  admirable  military  grace, 
had  ridden  up  to  receive  the  King,  and  soon  the  brilliant 
staff  rode  off  along  the  ranks  of  the  thirteen  legions  which 
stretched  out  far  and  wide  in  this  vast  open  space. 

Soon,  cheers  were  heard  on  every  side.  My  heart  beat 
violently,  as  I  gathered  the  various  reports  which  officers, 
leaving  the  escort,  brought  now  to  me,  now  to  my  carriage- 
companion.  She  and  I  did  not  share  the  same  opinion  on 
the  National  Guard,  and  as  the  gentlemen  were  also 
divided,  my  agitation  is  easily  explained. 

"All  goes  well,"  said  one;  "what  you  hear  is  mainly 
cries  of  '  Long  live  the  King  ! '  " 

Others  said,  "Those  are  seditious  cries  ;"  and  this  gave 
me  the  more  pain  because  this  accusation  bore  a  certain 
resemblance  to  the  triumph  which  consists  in  saying, 
"  I  told  you  so  !  " 

At  last  the  eternal  review  came  to  an  end,  and  I  saw 
the  King,  my  husband  and  all  the  gold-laced  band  return- 
ing at  a  gallop.  After  graciously  saluting  the  Princesses, 
His  Majesty  turned  his  horse  towards  my  carriage,  and 
with  an  accent  which  I  shall  never  forget,  said  : 


386  MEMOIRS  OF 

"  Well,  dear  duchesse,  the  Marshal  is  satisfied,  and  so 
am  I  ;  on  the  whole  it  was  rather  good  than  bad." 

Quite  recovered,  I  returned  to  the  Pavilion  de  Marsan, 
where  my  Princess  had  arrived  before  me.  She  accosted 
me  with  a  face  of  consternation  ;  she  was  feverish  and 
excited. 

"  Seventeen  hundred  and  ninety-three  !  "  she  said. 

Astounded  at  these  words,  which  were  so  little  in  keeping 
with  what  I  had  just  seen  and  heard,  I  was  about  to  ask 
her  for  an  explanation,  when  she  volunteered  it  in  these 
terms  : 

"  My  sister  and  I  heard  threatening  words  coming  from 
the  people  assembled  on  the  Champ  de  Mars  ;  they  were 
renewed  as  we  drove  off;  and,  as  you  know,  the  King  was 
insulted  in  the  ranks  of  the  National  Guard,"  and  so  on. 

T  endeavoured  to  calm  this  explosion  ;  but  seeing  that 
my  efforts  were  useless,  and  overcome  with  excitement  and 
fatigue,  I  returned  home,  where  I  was  soon  joined  by  my 
husband.     He  said  : 

"  The  King,  escorted  by  all  whom  you  saw  on  horseback 
around  him,  assembled  us  in  the  yard  of  the  Tuileries,  and 
before  alighting  and  going  in,  said,  '  Well,  gentlemen, 
there  is  more  good  than  harm  in  all  this.'  His  words 
were  confirmed  by  the  expression  of  his  face.  He  dis- 
missed us,  but  I  went  in  with  him  to  beg  him  urgently  for 
leave  to  draw  up  and  submit  to  him  an  order  of  the  day  to 
be  inserted  at  once  in  the  Moniteur.  'Justice  should  be 
done  publicly,  Sire,'  I  said,  '  as  the  position  to-day  was 
public.     There  has  been  much  good  and  little  harm  done, 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  387 

as  Your  Majesty  admits  ;  but  this  fact  should  be  pro- 
claimed throughout  the  Kingdom,  so  that  all  the  world 
may  know  how  small  was  the  number  of  those  who  dared 
to  mingle  a  hostile  voice  with  the  loud  cheers  with  which 
the  King  was  received.'  The  King  seemed  to  fall  in 
with  ray  views,  and  he  said,  '  Come  back  at  nine  o'clock 
this  evening  with  the  order  you  suggest.'  If  my  advice  is 
followed,"  added  the  Marshal,  "  all  may  yet  be  well." 

Your  father  and  I  had  a  long  talk,  and  then  he  left  me 
to  occupy  himself  with  the  matter  in  hand,  and  the  day 
passed  without  our  hearing  what  had  happened  in  Paris 
after  the  review  was  over.  It  seemed  that  after  the  King 
and  the  Court  had  returned,  and  when  the  thirteen  legions 
of  the  National  Guard  had  commenced  to  march  back,  to 
the  sound  of  their  drums,  to  their  respective  quarters,  a 
serious  incident  took  place. 

All  Paris  was  out  of  doors  ;  the  Tuileries  Gardens  in 
particular  were  crammed  with  people.  The  Vicomte  dc 
Sambucy,  a  man  most  devoted  to  the  reigning  dynasty, 
was  marching  back  the  legion  whose  colonel  he  was  from 
the  Champ- de-Mars  to  the  Marais,  and  at  first  led  it  from 
the  Place  Louis  XV.  towards  the  Rue  Royale ;  but  seeing 
that  this  street  was  blocked  by  the  crowd,  he  was  seized 
with  the  fatal  idea  of  turning  to  the  right  and  thus  leading 
his  troops  into  the  Rue  de  Rivoli.  The  sound  of  the 
drum,  joined  to  the  general  excitement  of  the  da\',  brought 
the  enormous  crowd  in  the  Tuileries  Gardens  to  the 
Terrasse  des  F'euillants,  which  skirts  the  Ministry  of 
Finance,  occupied  at  that  time  by  M.  de  Villele, 


388  MEMOIRS  OF 

By  an  unfortunate  accident,  one  of  the  Minister's  ser- 
vants, attracted  by  the  noise,  had  gone  out  on  the  balcony. 
He  was  taken  for  the  Minister  himself;  there  was,  some 
said,  a  certain  resemblance.  At  sight  of  him  a  cry  was 
heard,  no  one  knew  whence,  of  "  Down  with  Villele  !  " 
Alas,  it  was  not  the  only  one,  and  the  shout  was  taken  up 
to  some  small  extent  by  the  troop,  as  it  marched  past,  and 
almost  unanimously  by  the  crowd  in  the  gardens. 

This  demonstration  brought  the  discontent  of  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Council  to  a  climax.  He  hastened  to  the 
King,  and  depicted  this  occurrence  to  him  as  an  attack 
coming  from  a  troop  armed  in  his  defence  which  ought 
to  involve  an  immediate  and  exemplary  repression.  And 
this  in  spite  of  his  expressed  opinion  that  the  bulk  of  the 
cries  issued  from  the  people  ! 

However  this  may  be,  this  report,  coming  but  a  few 
moments  after  the  King's  conversation  with  your  father, 
changed  the  whole  aspect  of  affairs,  and  when  in  the 
evening  the  Marshal,  obeying  his  instructions,  presented 
himself  in  the  King's  closet,  he  found  him  in  a  condition 
of  extreme  alarm,  which  was  shared  by  all  around  him. 
The  proposed  order  of  the  day,  to  which  the  Marshal 
attached  such  great  importance,  was  adjourned  for  no 
plausible  reason,  and  your  father  returned  home  in 
despair,  since  this  postponement  not  only  destroyed  the 
appositeness  of  the  proposed  measure,  but  annulled  its 
effects.  He  did  not,  however,  go  so  far  as  to  foresee  what 
was  about  the  follow. 

I  spent  a  bad  night  ;  but  fairly  early  in  the  morning,  I 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  389 

rang  for  Madame  Pils,  who,  without  any  preamble, 
exclaimed  : 

"Madame  la  duchesse,  there  is  no  longer  a  National 
Guard  in  Paris." 

I  thought  I  was  dreaming  when  the  Marshal  came  in  and 
told  me  the  sad  story.  He  was  lying  in  bed  at  about  mid- 
night when  Pils  showed  into  his  room  a  gendarme  bring- 
ing a  letter  from  the  Minister  of  the  Interior.  I  have  not 
the  original,  but  I  remember  that  it  was  pretty  nearly  in 
these  words  : 

"  Monsieur  le  Mar£ciial, 

"  I  have  the  honour  to  inform  you,  on  behalf  of 
the  King,  that  the  National  Guard  of  Paris  has  been 
dissolved. 

"  I  have  the  honour  to  be,  &c. 

{Signed)         "  CORBlfiRES." 

In  the  morning,  to  the  gaping  surprise  of  the  passers-by, 
the  words  "  Head-quarters  of  the  National  Guard  "  were 
removed  from  the  house  we  occupied,  and  we  began  to 
think  of  finding  a  lodging  elsewhere. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  tell  you  what  resulted  from 
this  great  event  ;  only  you  must  know  that  the  Gox'crn- 
ment  and  Court  were  greatly  deceived  as  to  the  effect  it 
produced.  Some  took  the  gloomy  silence  which  followed 
the  events  of  the  29th  of  April  for  submission  ;  others 
said,  as  they  rubbed  their  hands,  "  You  see,  they  arc 
delighted  to  be  relieved  from  the  troubles  of  their  service." 


390  MEMOIRS  OF 

They  either  did  not  know,  or  took  no  heed,  of  a  significant 
fact ;  here  it  is.  We  were  told  that  from  the  Porte  de 
Saint-Denis  was  hung,  I  do  not  know  how,  a  large  picture 
representing  a  National  Guard's  uniform,  with  these  words 
in  large  letters  : 

FOR  SALE 
A  NATIONAL  GUARD'S  CAST-OFF  UNIFORM 

followed  by,  in  parentheses : 

(MINUS  THE  MUSKET). 

Instances  were  also  related  of  insolence  displayed  dur- 
ing the  review.  Here  is  one  which  the  Marshal  would 
quickly  have  punished,  if  the  King  had  not  prevented  him 
in  time.  A  Grenadier  left  the  ranks  at  the  moment  when 
His  Majesty  was  passing  before  him,  and  boldly  said  to 
Charles  X. : 

"  Down  with  the  Ministers  !  " 

With  noble  coolness,  the  King  replied  : 

"  Sir,  I  have  come  here  to  receive  respect,  not  lessons." 

When,  after  a  short  retreat,  the  Marshal  returned  to  the 
Tuileries,  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  keep  a  stern  silence, 
and  he  followed  this  plan  in  spite  of  all  the  expressions  of 
regret  with  which  he  was  overwhelmed.  These  regrets  re- 
ferred to  him  personally,  and  not  to  the  measure  in  question, 
upon  which  they  seemed,  on  the  contrary,  to  congratulate 
themselves.  Alas,  it  was  much  more  for  the  sake  of  the 
dynasty  than  for  his  own  that  your  father  deplored  what 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT 


391 


had  been  place,  and  what  was  certainly  the  prelude  to  the 
Revolution. 

But  I  was  not  long  in  a  condition  to  follow  the  effects  of 
this  movement.  On  the  13th  of  May  I  was  attacked  by  a 
congestion  of  the  brain  which  made  me  pass  a  whole  day 
for  dead.  The  Marshal,  distraught,  summoned  all  his 
energy  in  v^ain  ;  the  first  doctors  in  Paris  exhausted  them- 
selves to  no  purpose  in  order  to  bring  back  to  me  a  breath 
of  life  ;  when  M.  de  Caunan,  who  had  heard  me  praising 
M.  Dupuytren  above  all  others,  sent  for  him  at  his  country- 
house  at  Courbevoie.  Dupuytren  arrived  at  two  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  examined  me,  and  said,  "  She  is  not  dead." 
He  forthwith  set  energetically  to  work,  and  without  wear)-- 
ing  you  with  painful  and  superfluous  details,  I  will  tell  you 
that  within  a  few  hours  I  opened  my  eyes,  which  had  been 
closed  since  the  day  before,  and  at  once  recognized  the 
faces  bending  over  me.  I  tried  to  speak  to  all  ;  I  thought 
I  was  articulating,  but  no  sound  came  from  my  lips  ;  at 
last  I  succeeded  in  conveying  that  I  wished  to  see  my 
children. 

The  violent  treatment  which  had  saved  me  from  death 
had  shattered  my  nervous  system  to  such  a  degree  that  it 
was  long  before  I  recovered  my  normal  condition.  I  asked 
for  an  indefinite  leave  to  go  first  to  Plombieres  and  next  to 
Jeand'heurs.  The  Marshal  was  unable  to  go  with  me,  and 
I  took  my  daughter  Louise,  poor  dear  child,  who,  with  the 
gentle  care  of  her  twelve  years,  did  all  she  could  for  her 
mother.  She  was  well  seconded  by  Mme.  Monniot,  my 
children's  devoted  froverness.     But  I  did  not  benefit  at  all 


392  MEMOIRS  OF 

by  my  course  of  waters  ;  seeing  which,  our  excellent  friend 
M.  Gouy  wrote  to  the  Marshal  to  come  at  once  and  take 
me  to  Jeand'heurs. 

We  returned  to  Paris  at  the  end  of  the  autumn.  Although 
still  languid  and  melancholy,  I  nevertheless  resumed  my 
Court  service,  leaving  out,  as  far  as  possible,  all  that  was 
not  absolutely  essential. 

It  was  in  the  course  of  this  winter,  in  February,  I  believe, 
that  the  fall  took  place  of  the  Villele  Ministry.  It  was  an 
excited  political  winter.  Nevertheless,  the  choice  of  the 
new  Ministers  seemed  to  satisfy  public  opinion.  M.  de 
Martignac,  who  took  charge  of  the  portfolio  of  the  Interior, 
gave  his  name  to  the  Cabinet,  which  was  joined  by  one 
of  our  friends,  the  Comte  de  La  Ferronays,  the  nobility 
and  loyalty  of  whose  character  were  well  known  and  trans- 
cendental. By  his  adhesion  to  the  moderate  system  which 
was  announced,  this  devoted  servant  of  the  Bourbons  in 
exile  brought  a  generally  appreciated  guarantee  into  the 
new  policy.  It  was  realized  that  he  would  never  fail  in  his 
unalterable  attachment  to  the  reigning  Dynasty,  but  at  the 
same  time  that  his  policy  would  be  enlightened  by  the 
experience  which  he  had  acquired  since  his  return  to  France. 

The  persistent  enfeebled  condition  of  my  health  during 
the  winter  of  1827  to  1828  caused  me  to  ask  for  fresh  leave 
in  the  spring.  The  month  of  May  was  spent  at  Jeand'- 
heurs, where  I  hoped  to  be  able  to  prolong  my  stay  with 
you,  when  I  received  a  letter  from  Madame,  Duchesse  de 
Berry,  summoning  me  immediately  to  Saint-Cloud  ;  this 
was,  she  told  me,  in  order  to  arrange  for  a  long  tour  which 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT 


393 


she  was  about  to  make  through  France,  and  which  was  to  end 
in  a  stay  at  the  Pyrenees,  where  my  health  would  certainly 
recover  its  vigour.  I  pass  over  the  following  four  months. 
You  will  find  this  period  fully  described,  my  children,  in 
the  official  journal  of  this  journey  to  the  Pyrenees,  which 
did,  in  fact,  as  Her  Royal  Highness  had  prophesied,  restore 
me  completely  to  health. 

Two  family  sorrows  followed  shortly  upon  this  period  : 
I  lost  my  young  and  charming  sister-in-law  de  Coucy  and 
my  excellent  brother-in-law  de  La  Gucriviere. 

On  my  return  from  the  Pyrenees,  I  learnt  that  the  King 
had  granted  the  Marshal,  for  an  indefinite  period,  the  use 
of  the  fine  house  belonging  to  the  Crown  on  the  Place 
Vendome.  Its  nearness  to  the  Tuileries  and  the  time 
which  this  saved  me  doubled  the  value  of  this  favour. 

It  was  at  about  the  same  time  that  our  dear  Stephanie 
was  asked  in  marriage  by  M.  James  Hainguerlot,  a  wedding 
which  realized,  by  forty  years  of  happiness,  the  promises  it 
had  brought. 

The  summer  of  1829  was  spent,  as  usual,  in  the  spot 
which  your  father  loved  to  call  his  paradise,  and  of  which 
he  was  so  pleased  to  do  the  honours,  not  only  to  his  family 
and  friends,  but  to  all  who  penetrated  within  its  boundaries. 
I  hoped  not  to  return  to  Paris  with  my  husband  and  chil- 
dren until  the  end  of  the  autumn  ;  but  I  suddenly  received 
a  despatch  which  was  brought  me  I'rom  the  post  by  M. 
Malingrey.  He  arrived  breathless  one  morning  with  this 
letter,  which  bore  the  superscription  of  Her  Royal  High- 
ness : 

26 


394  MEMOIRS  OF 

"Corneas  quickly  as  you  can,"  she  said,  "in  order  to 
arrange  for  a  journey  which  I  shall  soon  have  to  undertake 
to  meet  the  King  of  Naples,  my  father.  He  is  to  cross  a 
part  of  France  on  the  road  to  Spain,  where  he  is  taking  my 
pretty  sister  Christina." 

I  set  out  at  once.  When  I  arrived  at  Saint-Cloud,  where 
the  Court  was  in  residence,  I  received  my  instructions  at 
once. 

"  There  is  nothing  official  about  the  journey,"  said  the 
King  ;  "  this  time  Madame,  Duchesse  de  Berry,  is  simply 
indulging  in  a  family  gratification.  She  will  stay  at  her 
own  expense  at  hotels  in  the  towns  she  stops  at,  and  if  her 
incognito  is  betrayed,  and  the  authorities  choose  to  wait 
upon  her,  they  must  do  so  without  uniforms  or  speeches." 

This  suited  Her  Royal  Highness  and  myself  admirably, 
for  we  had  hardly  rested  from  the  former  journey,  which, 
you  will  remember,  kept  us  for  four  months  in  the  public 
view.  Moreover,  it  was  a  very  wise  resolve  under  the  circum- 
stances of  the  time,  for  I  must  tell  you  that  the  Martignac 
Ministry  had  been  replaced  by  the  Ministry  of  the  Prince 
de  Polignac.  This  step  had  thrown  all  France  into  excite- 
ment ;  dull  rumours  were  heard  in  every  part  of  the  country, 
and  a  very  showy  demonstration  had  besides  just  attracted 
the  public  attention.  This  was  an  almost  triumphal  journey 
made  by  General  de  La  Fayette,  precisely  through  the  dis- 
tricts which  we  were  to  traverse.  It  is  not  well  to  raise 
altar  against  altar,  and  without  seeking  to  throw  a  veil  over 
so  honest  and  simple  action  as  that  of  going  to  meet  her 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  395 

family,  Madame,  Duchesse  de  Berry,  was  very  well  advised, 
so  shortly  after  her  triumphs  of  1828,  in  laying  aside  her 
Royalty  on  this  occasion. 

I  had  only  just  commenced  to  make  my  arrangements, 
when  one  of  my  intimate  friends,  the  Marquise  de  Bcthisy, 
came  to  me,  and  told  me  in  confidence : 

"  I  owe  it  to  my  friendship  for  you  to  tell  you  somcthini^ 
which  it  may  be  useful  for  you  to  know  before  you  start  on 
your  journey.  It  would  seem  that  the  Neapolitan  Ambas- 
sador, who  is  to  be  one  of  the  party,  proposes  to  renew,  in 
your  case,  the  Austria-Apponyi  business." 

"  Not  really  !  "  I  exclaimed. 

"Yes,"  continued  the  marchioness,  "he  relies  upon  that 
antecedent,  saying  that  since  your  Reggio  has  been  pro- 
claimed to  be  the  Calabrian  one,  there  is  no  reason  why 
the  King,  his  master,  should  not  attempt  what  was  tried 
by  the  Emperor  of  Austria." 

No  motive  in  the  world  would  have  induced  me  know- 
ingly to  abandon  the  title  purchased  by  my  husband  at  the 
price  of  his  great  deeds.  I  made  an  energetic  protest ; 
and  anticipating  the  arrival  of  the  King  of  Naples,  I  am 
able  to  state  that,  although  the  actual  bearer  of  the  name 
of  Reggio,  Prince  Scilla,  formed  part  of  the  Court  of  the 
Italian  Princes  whom  we  expected,  King  P'rancis  I.  ostenta- 
tiously addressed  me  by  my  title  as  Duchesse  de  Reggio. 

Madame,  Duchesse  de  Berry,  was  not  yet  informed  as 
to  the  date  upon  which  the  King  her  father  would  reach 
the  French  frontier  ;  nor  did  she  know  when  the  Infanta 
Carlota,   her   sister,   married    to   Don    Francis   dc    Paula, 


396  MEMOIRS  OF 

brother  to  the  King  of  Spain,  would  arrive  in  Dauphine, 
where  the  two  Princesses  were  to  meet,  in  order  to  travel 
together  towards  Their  Neapolitan  Majesties.  Taking 
advantage  of  this  latitude,  Her  Royal  Highness  made 
several  excursions.  On  the  15th  of  October,  we  slept  at 
Chalon,  and  the  next  day  set  out  for  Macon.  The  Saone 
was  so  flooded  that  we  saw  what  was  almost  a  sea  before 
our  eyes.  On  alighting  at  a  fine  hotel  on  the  quay,  Her 
Royal  Highness  was  informed  that  her  incognito,  which 
had  been  so  well  observed  till  then,  had  been  betrayed. 
The  authorities  were  eager  for  receptions,  and  offered  all 
kinds  of  entertainments  ;  but  Madame  escaped  by  means 
of  kind  words,  and  only  consented  to  witness  from  her 
balcony  a  display  of  fireworks  prepared  by  the  soldiers  of 
the  24th. 

We  here  received  news  of  the  Infanta ;  she  was  to  arrive 
at  Vienne  at  the  same  time  as  ourselves  or  shortly  after, 
which  decided  Her  Royal  Highness  not  to  stop  at  Lyons. 
We  did  not  find  the  Infanta  at  Vienne,  and  we  pursued  our 
road  to  Tain,  where  the  two  sisters  alighted  from  their 
carriages  at  the  same  time,  and  embraced  each  other 
tenderly. 

We  returned  to  sleep  at  Valence,  at  the  Hotel  de  la 
Poste.  I  spent  most  of  the  time  at  dinner  in  observing 
the  Royal  Couple  who  had  joined  us  (I  see  I  had  forgotten 
to  tell  you  that  the  Infant  accompanied  his  wife).  The 
Princess,  who  had  been  long  married  (she  was  only  four- 
teen when  she  married  the  Infant),  exercised,  it  was  said, 
great   influence  over  King  Ferdinand  VII.,  her  brother- 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  397 

in-law;  she  was  considered  to  have  much  influence  upon 
the  Council,  and  to  her  efforts  was  attributed  his  marriage 
with  the  Princess  Christina,  her  own  sister.  For  as  you 
know,  these  two  Princesses  were  only  sisters  to  Madame, 
Duchesse  de  Berry,  on  their  father's  side. 

Dona  Carlota  was  already  the  mother  of  a  number  of 
children.  Her  enormous  stoutness  deprived  her  of  all 
appearance  of  youth.  She  was  very  gracious  to  me,  but 
her  tone  of  voice  was  positive  and  decided. 

We  returned  to  Lyons  on  the  20th,  and  alighted  at  the 
Hotel  de  I'Europe,  where  they  have  enormous  rooms  and  a 
very  good  table.  Madame,  Duchesse  de  Berry,  occupied 
herself  greatly  with  the  toilette  of  the  Princess  her  sister. 
She  had  foreseen  ever  since  leaving  Paris  that  this  would 
be  necessary:  and  when  everyone  was  ready,  we  set  out  in 
town  carriages  to  visit  the  shops  and  manufactories,  and  to 
buy  as  much  as  possible.  Then  we  went  to  the  hospital,  a 
huge  and  splendid  edifice  built  by  Soufiflot,  the  architect  of 
Saint-Genevieve  in  Paris.  On  the  next  day,  Her  Royal 
Highness,  still  retaining  her  so-called  incognito,  and  accom- 
panied by  the  authorities  disguised  in  mufti,  continued  her 
exploration  of  all  the  curiosities  of  Lyons. 

On  leaving,  we  stopped  at  the  chateau  of  General  Guyot, 
near  a  place  called  the  "Passage,"  because  a  Carthaginian 
buckler  was  found  there  a  hundred  years  ago,  and  led  to 
suppose  that  Hannibal  must  have  crossed  the  Alps  not  far 
from  there.  General  Guyot,  who  had  gone  through  all  the 
great  wars  with  my  husband,  and  who  spoke  of  him  to  me 
as  he  is  always  spoken  of,  offered  Her  Royal  Highness  a 


398  MEMOIRS  OF 

splendid  hospitality.  Room  was  found  for  both  the  Spanish 
and  French  suites  in  this  beautiful  house.  The  luxury 
which  was  displayed  was  hardly  calculated  to  prepare 
us  for  the  serious  undertaking  of  the  morrow,  which  was 
no  less  than  to  sleep  at  the  Grande-Chartreuse,  which  we 
proposed  to  visit  at  a  time  of  year  when  no  traveller 
dreams  of  going  there. 

An  incredible  tumult  reigned  in  the  village  of  Saint- 
Laurent-du-Pont,  where  our  mules  and  guides  were  await- 
ing us,  and  where  the  arrival  of  two  Princesses  and  an 
Infant  had  caused  an  unwonted  agitation.  The  crowd 
pushed  and  fought  ;  and  the  mayor,  like  all  mayors  or 
nearly  all  mayors,  had  lost  his  head.  Each  clamoured  for  his 
steed  ;  soon  Madame,  Duchesse  de  Berry,  was  seated  on 
hers  ;  but  when  the  turn  came  of  the  Infanta,  it  was  quite 
another  thing.  I  heard  her  shouting  in  Spanish  to  General 
Audenarde,  the  commander  of  the  Department,  some 
vehement  words  of  which  I  do  not  know  the  meaning,  but 
which  seemed  peremptory  to  him,  for  he  made  respectful 
signs  of  assent.  I  since  learnt  that  she  was  explaining 
to  him  that  she  could  not  get  into  the  arm-chair  saddle 
which  had  been  prepared  for  her.  It  was  only  too  true. 
Meanwhile  the  caravan  was  kept  waiting,  and  I  saw  the 
time  pass  with  alarm,  especially  when  I  looked  at  the 
dark  defile  into  which  we  were  about  to  plunge.  The 
general  then  took  a  great  resolve ;  at  his  request  the 
mayor  supplied  an  arm-chair;  two  vigorous  doiianiers 
pushed  sticks  under  the  seat ;  they  raised  up  the  Infanta, 
and  thus  carried  her  out  of  the  village.     It  was  then  only 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  399 

that  she  decided  to  remount  her  mule,  which  this  time  she 
straddled  without  any  difficulty. 

Night  fell,  the  cold  became  keen,  and  soon  we  reached 
a  layer  of  snow  which  threw  up  the  imposing  blackness  of 
the  rocks  and  gigantic  pine  trees,  among  which  the  rough 
road  has,  with  great  difficulty,  been  traced.  At  last  I 
distinguished  a  dark  and  enormous  mass  before  us  ;  it  was 
the  Chartreuse. 

Soon  a  feeble  light  appeared.  It  was  Dom  Bruno,  the 
Superior,  who  came  to  admit  the  Princes.  He  received 
them  with  a  remarkable  mingling  of  Christian  humility 
and  of  aristocratic  good-breeding.  The  suite  remained  in 
a  large  house  outside  the  monastery.  None  but  the  Princes 
and  their  immediate  following  had  the  right  to  penetrate 
into  the  quarter  of  the  monks.  We  were  even  told  that 
the  Princesses  would  not  have  been  admitted  if  one  of 
them  had  not  been  mother  to  the  Heir  to  the  Throne  of 
France.  Guided  by  Dom  Bruno,  we  entered  an  immense 
hall  whose  white  walls  and  great  chimney,  in  which  blazed 
a  splendid  fire,  gladdened  all  of  us.  Four  cells,  situated  at 
the  four  corners  of  this  room,  were  pointed  out  to  us,  one 
for  my  Princess,  the  second  for  the  Spanish  couple,  the 
third  for  me,  and  the  fourth  for  Mme.  dc  Bouille.  A  corner 
was  also  found  for  our  maids  ;  and  while  the  Superior  re- 
plied with  respect  and  dignity  to  the  questions  which  every 
one  addressed  to  him,  Brother  Jean-Marie,  the  minister  and 
master  of  ceremonies  of  the  house,  took  pains  to  make  every 
one  comfortable.  Soon  he  came  to  tell  us  that  supper  was 
served. 


400  MEMOIRS  OF 

I  had  had  the  good  fortune  to  inspire  him  with  con- 
fidence, and  all  he  said  came  through  me.  We  followed 
him,  accompanied  by  the  Superior,  and  we  walked  long 
without  passing  through  half  of  the  corridor,  whose  vast- 
ness  was  made  evident  to  us  by  means  of  a  little  light 
which  had  been  placed  at  its  further  end.  At  last  a  door 
opened  and  admitted  us  to  a  well-warmed  and  lighted 
room,  in  the  midst  of  which  a  table  was  laid  with  supper, 
which  naturally  included  no  meat.  The  Superior  withdrew, 
and  the  two-fold  duty  of  doing  the  honours  and  of  waiting 
at  table  fell  to  Brother  Jean-Marie,  who  acquitted  himself 
marvellously  of  his  task.  Whenever  he  experienced  a 
momentary  doubt,  he  would  come  and  tap  me  gently  on 
the  shoulder,  and  ask,  "  Is  this  the  right  time  to  hand  that 
dish  ?  "  He  anxiously  followed  the  effect  produced  by  the 
cooking  of  the  monastery.  He  must  have  been  satisfied  ; 
for  if  it  had  not  been  thought  good,  we  should  have  pre- 
tended that  it  was. 

At  the  end  of  the  meal  I  saw  him  return  in  triumph  : 
he  had  brought  a  chocolate  pudding  !  He  whispered  in  my 
ear,  "  I  think  it's  a  success  ! "  It  was  the  cream  of  the 
repast,  and  met  with  all  desirable  triumph  ;  and  in  all  my  life 
1  shall  never  forget  the  happy  air  of  this  good  monk,  who, 
himself  vowed  to  eternal  privations,  enjoyed  this  exceptional 
dainty  through  our  palates. 

At  dessert  Dom  Bruno  came  and  joined  us,  to  take  us  to 
the  common  room,  where  the  great  fire  was  still  burning, 
and  where  a  table  had  been  brought,  with  pens,  ink  and 
paper,  and  a  solitary  book,  the  life  of  the  founder,  St.  Bruno. 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  401 

Some  of  us  wrote,  others  turned  over  the  pages  of  this 
volume ;  nothing  was  heard  in  the  room  but  the  whistling 
of  the  wind  and  the  crackling  of  the  fire.  None  of  us  was 
eager  to  speak,  for  we  awaited  the  signal  for  matins,  at 
which  we  were  secretly  to  assist.  The  bells  were  heard  at 
eleven  o'clock. 

"  Come,"  said  the  Reverend  Father,  returning  to  the 
room,  "  but  walk  quietly,  I  beg  of  you,  because  none  of  our 
Brothers  must  know  what  is  happening  here." 

We  followed  him  along  that  unexampled  corridor,  upon 
which  each  cell  has  its  outlet. 

"  Let  us  hurry,"  added  Dom  Bruno :  "  we  must  be  in- 
stalled in  the  darkest  part  of  the  chapel  before  the  second 
bell,  which  will  toll  presently,  brings  all  the  community 
there." 

We  hastened  our  steps  as  much  as  possible,  and  hardly 
breathed,  so  as  not  to  disturb  this  eternal  silence.  We 
reached  the  chapel  at  last,  and  our  group  took  up  its 
position,  under  the  Reverend  Father's  direction,  in  a  corner 
which  was  so  dark  that  it  was  impossible  that  we  should  be 
perceived,  for  two  candles  only  were  lit  upon  the  altar, 
while  all  the  rest  of  the  building  was  in  darkness.  A  side- 
door  opened  in  the  choir ;  the  Carthusians  entered  one  by 
one,  with  slow  steps,  carrying  each  a  dark  lantern,  which 
only  lit  up  him  who  carried  it.  Their  white  gowns,  with  a 
hood  pulled  down  over  the  face,  and  the  silence,  which  was 
only  broken  by  the  bell,  have  left  me  an  undying  remem- 
brance. When  each  Father  had  taken  his  place  in  his 
stall  (there  were  twenty-six  of  them),  commenced  a  grave 


402  MEMOIRS  OF 

and  solemn  chant,  which  lasted  about  half-an-hour,  during 
which  time  we  did  not  make  a  movement;  and  this  could 
have  been  prolonged,  so  magnetized  were  we  by  this  im- 
posing scene,  if  the  Superior,  who  always  has  the  liberty  of 
his  actions,  and  who  alone  can  depart  when  he  pleases  from 
the  established  rule,  had  not  left  his  stall  to  come  to  us  and 
bring  us  back  to  the  great  hall,  before  the  monks  regained 
their  cells, 

I,  for  my  part,  brought  back  from  the  church  not  only 
an  icy  feeling  of  cold,  which  soon  vanished  before  the  great 
fire,  but  a  deep  moral  emotion,  which  was  increased  by 
several  details  which  I  obtained  from  Dom  Bruno.  For 
instance,  it  was  during  their  first  sleep  that  the  monks,  old 
and  young,  were  awakened  by  the  stroke  of  the  first  matins 
which  we  had  just  heard.  They  returned  to  sleep,  only  to 
be  summoned  again,  before  daybreak,  to  the  same  chapel, 
where  the  exercise  was  continued  ;  and  in  spite  of  the 
severity  of  their  other  duties,  Dom  Bruno  told  us  that 
these  interruptions  of  their  night's  rest  were  what  cost  them 
most  in  their  life.  They  spend  their  days  in  the  most  com- 
plete isolation  ;  what  is  called  their  cell  consists  of  two 
rooms,  one  in  which  they  sleep,  the  other  in  which  they 
work,  either  intellectually  or  with  their  hands,  for  some  of 
them  do  carpenters'  or  joiners'  work.  Leading  out  of  these 
two  rooms,  each  has  a  small  garden  closed  in  with  a  wall ; 
they  only  meet  in  church,  and  never  speak  to  one  another 
except  during  their  walks,  which  take  place  once  or  twice  a 
week.  They  then  walk  two  by  two,  but  the  choice  of  a 
companion  is  never  left  to  them  ;  they  are  changed  about 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  403 

so  that  they  shall  not  develop  any  habits  or  special  friend- 
ships. Their  food,  althoui^h  they  never  eat  meat,  is  never- 
theless much  more  substantial  than  that  of  the  Trappists, 
for  instance  ;  thus  they  eat  fish,  eggs,  and  so  on.  Their 
meals  are  brought  to  them  and  put  down  outside  in  a 
revolving  cupboard,  which  they  turn  round  to  take  what 
has  been  brought  them  and  to  return  the  empty  dish. 
The  Carthusian  Order  does  not  exact  so  rigorous  an 
abstinence  as  many  of  the  others  ;  thus,  when  a  new  monk 
arrives,  they  carefully  examine  what  comes  back  on  the 
dish ;  if  he  returns  it  quite  empty,  his  portion  is  in- 
creased the  next  day,  because  all  appetites  are  not 
uniform. 

I  was  much  impressed  by  all  I  had  seen  and  heard,  and 
before  letting  the  worthy  Superior  go,  I  asked  him,  with  a 
certain  apprehension,  what  we  others,  we  worldly  people, 
might  hope  for,  when  we  compared  our  lives  with  those  of 
these  penitent  saints. 

"  Reassure  yourself,  madame,"  he  said,  "  with  the  thought 
that  we  have  voluntarily  chosen  the  trials  which  we  endure 
here,  while  those  which  are  sent  you,  in  the  world  in  which 
you  live,  are  imposed  upon  you  by  the  will  of  God.  You 
have  not  chosen  them,  and  yet  sometimes  they  must  have 
seemed  very  hard  to  you  to  bear.  Accept  tlicm  sub- 
missively, and  you  will  reach  the  same  point  as  ourselves." 

Thereupon  he  bowed  to  us  and  wished  us  a  good-night, 
while  Brother  Jean-Marie,  pushing  hospitality  to  its  last 
limits,  busied  himself,  with  surprising  activity,  in  warming 
our  beds. 


404  MEMOIRS  OF 

We  commenced  the  next  day,  I  think,  by  attending  Low- 
Mass,  recited  by  one  of  the  Fathers,  but  by  daylight  it  was 
not  necessary  to  conceal  our  presence  in  the  church.  We 
were  next  taken  to  visit  an  uninhabited  cell,  so  as  to  give 
us  an  idea  of  it :  you  have  already  read  my  description  of 
it.  We  were  then  shown  over  the  kitchen  and  the  refec- 
tory, where  all  take  a  meal  together  on  Sundays,  with 
orders  not  to  exchange  a  word.  We  ended  with  the  library, 
a  magnificent  room  decorated  with  many  pictures  all 
representing  scenes  from  the  life  of  St.  Bruno, 

The  descent  on  mule-back  was  still  more  fatiguing  than 
the  ascent.  Personally,  I  was  worn  out  by  the  time  I 
reached  the  carriage,  which  brought  us  to  Grenoble  at  ten 
o'clock  in  the  evening.  We  were  set  down  at  the  Marquis 
de  Vaulserre's,  who  had  placed  his  whole  house,  with  its 
furniture,  silver,  linen,  and  so  forth,  at  the  entire  disposal 
of  Her  Royal  Highness.  We  needed  the  whole  of  the  26th 
to  rest  ourselves. 

On  the  30th,  M.  le  Due,  Mme.  la  Duchesse  d'Orleans,  M. 
le  Due  de  Chartres,  and  the  Princesse  Louise,  his  sister, 
who  had  arrived  on  the  evening  of  the  29th,  came  to  pay  a 
visit  to  Madame,  Duchesse  de  Berry,  and  to  the  Infants. 
It  was  arranged  to  do  the  round  of  the  public  institutions 
together.  The  military  ones,  especially,  are  very  important. 
The  Princes  and  Princesses  stayed  to  dinner.  M.  le  Due 
de  Blacas,  the  King  of  France's  Ambassador,  had  arrived 
at  the  same  time,  to  bring  His  Majesty's  compliments  to 
the  King  of  Naples  ;  I  applied  to  him  at  once,  to  know  how 
far  I  was  bound  by  the  laws  of  hospitality  in  regard  to  the 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT 


405 


Neapolitan  ladies  who  were  to  accompany  the  Queen  of 
Naples. 

"The  first  place  belongs  to  you,"  he  replied  ;  "  never  fail 
to'take  it." 

During  the  whole  of  this  meeting,  the  Due  de  Blacas 
showed  himself  very  French,  and  eminently  gracious,  espe- 
cially in  what  concerned  myself. 

The  King,  Queen  and  Court  of  Naples  and  the  young 
Queen  of  Spain  were  expected  on  the  31st.  The  Prin- 
cesses, daughters  and  sister  to  the  King  of  Naples,  wished 
to  go  and  meet  him  unattended.  It  was  decided  that 
we  should  await  the  return  of  the  whole  party  at  the 
Prefect's,  where  Their  Majesties  were  to  sleep.  We  were 
at  our  posts  between  three  and  four  o'clock  when  they 
arrived.  After  retiring  for  a  little  while  to  their  apartments, 
the  King  and  Queen,  followed  by  all  the  Princesses,  entered 
the  drawing-room,  where  we  were  waiting.  Madame, 
Duchesse  de  Berry,  taking  me  by  the  hand,  presented  me 
to  the  King  her  father  and  the  Queen  her  step-mother. 

They  withdrew  again,  and  then  the  time  came  for  dinner; 
suddenly  the  door  opened,  and  the  King  of  Naples,  followed 
by  his  P'amily,  entered  and  came  up  to  me. 

'  Madame  la  Duchesse  de  Reggio,"  he  said,  "  I  am  happy 
to  have  this  opportunity  of  telling  you  that  I  know  of  your 
devotion  to  my  daughter,  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  and  that 
I  appreciate  it  highly." 

These  kind  words  on  the  part  of  the  Sovereign  moved 
me  deeply  ;  I  had,  moreover,  made  it  a  labour  of  love  to 
contribute  to  the  success  of  a  reception  offered  to  a  King  of 


4o6  MEMOIRS  OF 

the  Bourbon  Family  visiting  the  States  of  a  Bourbon  on 
the  Throne  of  France. 

Here  is  a  short  description  of  the  appearance  of  the 
Neapohtan  Court.  The  King,  very  energetic  in  his  move- 
ments, was  shattered  with  a  violent  attack  of  rheumatism. 
The  Queen  his  wife,  sister  to  Ferdinand  VII.,  to  whom 
she  was  about  to  marry  her  daughter,  wore  an  expression 
of  great  kindness.  She  was  still  nursing  her  twelfth  child, 
the  Count  of  Trapani.  The  Queen-elect  was  twenty-four 
years  of  age  and  extremely  pretty.  She  maintained  a  great 
reserve  before  the  King  her  father,  who  wielded  with 
authority  his  two-fold  sceptre  as  King  and  father  of  his 
family.  Next  came  the  Infant,  Among  the  officers  and 
ladies  attached  to  the  Court  of  Naples,  I  will  mention 
Prince  Scilla  and  the  Duchesses  of  San  Martino  and  San 
Valantino, 

The  return  journey  commenced ;  it  was  strewn  with 
great  receptions  and  fetes.  There  was  a  recrudescence  of 
zeal  and  of  loud  cheering  at  the  sight  of  Madame,  Duchesse 
de  Berry,  since  she  had  left  Dauphine  ;  but  it  was  to  her 
personally  that  this  enthusiasm  was  directed.  However, 
the  King  of  Naples  replied  to  all  the  speeches  which  were 
addressed  to  him  personally ;  but  the  text  of  his  replies 
did  not  contain  great  variety,  for,  to  tell  the  truth,  he 
harped  upon  the  fact  that  he  was  being  thanked  for  being 
"  the  father  of  his  daughter." 

We  parted  from  the  Neapolitan  Princes  on  the  Spanish 
frontier.  The  journey  was  over  !  I  cannot  describe  to  you 
my  delight  at  rejoining  my  husband,  my  children,  and  at 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  407 

last  enjoying  comparative  repose.  .  .  .  For  the  winter  of 
1829  to  1830  did  not  put  an  end  to  my  occupations:  on 
the  contrary ! 

What  most  painfully  struck  your  father  and  myself  was 
the  imminence  of  an  ever-increasing  danger  that  threatened 
the  reigning  Dynasty.  The  blindness  of  its  friends  seemed 
to  lend  a  fatal  assistance  to  the  various  parties  that  opposed 
it.  One  of  the  great  features  of  the  period  which  we  had 
now  reached  was  the  preparations  which  were  being  made 
for  the  Algerian  campaign.  The  Polignac  Ministry  had 
brought  General  de  Bourmont  to  the  War  Office.  No 
sooner  was  he  in  office  than  he  saw  a  prospect  of  immediate 
war  for  the  Government  in  which  he  was  to  play  so  active 
a  part,  and  he  demanded  and  at  once  obtained  the  com- 
mand-in-chief of  the  landed  forces.  He  and  his  four  sons 
had  determined  to  die  or  distinguish  themselves.  In  the 
meanwhile  the  seals  of  the  War  Office  were  held  by  the 
Comte  de  Champagny.  Strange  and  deplorable  results  of 
party  spirit !  In  a  nation  generally  so  sympathetically  in- 
clined for  war,  this  particular  war,  from  the  first  rumours 
concerning  it,  excited  loud  disapproval.  The  masses  had 
clearly  resolved  to  blame  the  actions  of  the  Ministry  before 
weighing  their  motives.  Nevertheless,  the  preparations 
were  hurried  forward,  and  by  the  spring  of  1830  we  were 
prepared  to  hurl  our  land  and  sea  forces  against  that  nest 
of  pirates. 

When  I  returned  to  Paris,  Madame,  Duchesse  de  Berry, 
was  greatly  busied  with  the  approaching  arrival  of  the 
King  and  Queen  of  Naples.     They  were  to  be  received  as 


4o8  MEMOIRS  OF 

Bourbons  and  Sovereigns,  in  other  words,  with  all  possible 
display.  I  confess  that  I  was  alarmed  for  the  foreign 
Princes  at  the  thought  of  the  want  of  sympathy  which  they 
would  possibly  be  shown  by  the  crowd.  The  Revolution 
was  already  seething,  particularly  in  Paris.  I  should  have 
wished  that  this  Court,  which  it  was  our  pleasure  and  our 
honour  to  receive  in  a  suitable  fashion,  might  be  spared 
the  sight  of  the  troubles  that  underran  our  capital. 

At  the  beginning  of  May,  Madame,  Duchesse  de  Berry, 
obtained  leave  from  the  King  to  go  as  far  as  Blois  to  meet 
the  King  her  father.  With  us  in  the  carriage  was  the 
Prince  of  Salerno,  brother  to  Francis  I.,  and  much  younger 
than  he.  He  was  gay  and  spirited,  and  in  his  earlier  visits 
to  Paris,  his  manners  had  been  greatly  liked.  We  slept  at 
Blois,  where  the  ordinary  receptions  took  place.  We  next 
stopped  at  Chateaudun.  Our  third  halting-place  was  the 
Chateau  de  Rambouillet,  where  M.  le  Dauphin  and  Mme. 
la  Dauphine  had  come  to  await  Their  Neapolitan  Majesties, 
who  returned  with  them  and  took  up  their  quarters  in  the 
Palais-Bourbon. 

Towards  the  end  of  April  was  held  a  grand  review  in 
the  Champ-de-Mars,  which  the  Marshal  commanded.  It 
was  the  last  outing  of  that  fine  Royal  Guard.  It  was 
the  Sovereign's  farewell  to  the  picked  troops  who,  be- 
fore three  months  were  past,  were  to  fight  at  their  posts 
of  honour  in  the  streets  of  Paris.  My  children,  you  must 
retain  a  vague  recollection  of  that  memorable  morning. 
Was  it  a  presentiment  which  imbued  your  father  with  the 
desire  that  you  should  be  present,  young  as  you  were,  at 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  409 

this  review,  the  last  which  Marshal  Oudinot  held  at  the 
head  of  an  army  ?  And  you,  my  grand-children,  would 
have  felt  an  indescribable  emotion  if  you  had  ever  seen  the 
warlike  attitude  which  distinguished  the  Marshal  when, 
passing  before  the  King  on  horseback,  he  saluted  with  his 
sword  with  a  chivalrous  grace  which  I  have  never  seen 
except  in  him. 

On  the  1st  of  May,  my  husband  handed  over  the 
command  of  the  Royal  Guard  to  his  colleague  Marshal 
Marmont,  his  successor  for  the  ensuing  quarter,  and  left  to 
prepare  to  preside  over  the  electoral  college  at  Verdun, 
spending  at  Jeand'heurs  the  time  that  elapsed  before  its 
meetings. 

The  august  visitors  were  no  sooner  installed  in  Paris 
than  we  were  all  busied  in  showing  them  all  that  was  to 
be  seen  and  in  entertaining  them  in  every  possible  manner. 
There  was  play  at  the  King's,  receptions  at  Madame's, 
performances  in  all  the  theatres.  The  King  of  Naples 
wished  particularly  to  attend  a  performance  at  the 
Gymnase,  which,  if  you  remember,  was  under  Madame's 
immediate  protection.  We  also  went  to  Compiegnc,  where 
splendid  hunting-parties  were  given  which  delighted  the 
Court  of  Naples.  Charles  X.  was  an  admirable  horseman, 
and  followed  the  hounds  as  a  young  man  might  have 
done. 

Madame,  Duchesse  de  Berry,  had  asked  and  obtained  an 

unusual    favour    to    which    she    attached    immense    price. 

This  was  to  receive  her  son  for  the  first  time  at  Rosny — 

Rosny,  her  joy,"  where  during  the  course  of  each  year,  she 

27 


4IO  MEMOIRS  OF 

spent  days  of  delight  which  she  strove  to  make  as  rustic 
as  possible.  She  had  once  brought  her  daughter  with  her  ; 
but  as  to  ]\I.  le  Due  de  Bordeaux,  for  whom  they  would 
have  set  a  regiment  marching,  or  what  you  will,  she  had 
not  as  yet  dared  hope  to  receive  him  here.  The  oppor- 
tunity was  a  good  one,  since  the  King  and  Queen  of  Naples 
were  preparing  to  stay  at  Rosny.  By  a  still  more  special 
favour,  the  King  of  France  declared  that  he  too  would  be 
of  the  party.  The  whole  family  of  M.  le  Due  and  Mme. 
la  Duchesse  d'Orleans  was  also  invited  to  this  gathering, 
the  preparations  and  details  of  which,  as  you  may  imagine, 
required  infinite  care. 

On  their  return  to  Paris,  the  Courts  of  France  and 
Naples  were  invited  by  IM.  le  Due  and  Mme.  la  Duchesse 
d'Orleans  to  a  magnificent  ball.  As  an  exceptional  fact, 
it  was  intimated  that  the  King  of  France  would  be  present. 
Naturally  all  the  guests,  even  the  Court  of  Naples,  arrived 
at  the  Palais-Royal  before  the  King  was  expected.  It  was 
in  the  middle  of  June.  All  Paris  was  out  of  doors,  and 
naturally  turned  towards  the  spot  where  the  ball  was  being 
given,  a  spot  always  so  crowded,  and  this  time  offering  an 
infrequent  and  curious  spectacle.  Never  were  the  police 
precautions  more  neglected  than  on  this  occasion  ;  it  was 
with  unexampled  difficulty  that  we  were  able  to  penetrate 
through  the  stream  of  people  who,  if  they  showed  no 
hostility,  neither  gave  any  sign  of  pleasure.  An  eager 
curiosity  was  all  that  we  were  able  to  distinguish  in  the 
crowd. 

Upon  our  arrival,  we  found  the  family  of  M.  le  Due 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  411 

d'Orleans  in  a  state  of  extreme  agitation  and  alarm  at  the 
news  they  had  heard  of  this  compact  crowd  which  the 
King  would  have  to  pass  through.  They  had  eyes  for  no 
one,  not  even  the  Court  of  Naples,  and  it  was  clear  that  the 
arrival  of  the  King  of  France  absorbed  all  their  thoughts. 
He  appeared  at  last ;  received  all  the  masters  of  the  palace 
with  hishabitualgrace  and  serenity ;  and  in  order  to  reach  the 
place  prepared  for  him,  crossed  all  those  magnificent  rooms 
filled  with  the  elegance  of  Paris.  In  the  hope  of  catching 
sight  of  some  of  the  fete,  the  crowd,  which  was  numerous 
everywhere,  had  with  redoubled  ardour  come  to  pack  itself 
in  the  gardens  of  the  Palais-Royal,  which  were  brilliantly 
lighted.  One  saw  nothing  but  heads,  touching  each  other, 
without  any  interval.  How  many  thousands  can  there 
have  been  "^  I  do  not  know,  but  we  were  able  to  form  an 
idea  of  this  agglomeration  when  the  King,  agreeing  to  the 
proposal  of  M  le  Due  d'Orleans,  walked  round  the  outer 
galleries,  followed  by  all  the  Princes  and  Princesses.  The 
King,  in  uniform,  wearing  his  blue  riband  and  all  his  orders, 
walked  easily,  and  looked  out  with  his  customary  bene- 
volence upon  the  immense  populace  which  thronged  be- 
neath him.  There  rose  shouts,  but  it  was  impossible 
to  distinguish  their  true  meaning.  I  have  retained  the 
impression  that  amid  a  display  of  great  curiosity  and 
of  perhaps  a  little  affection,  the  crowd  seemed  to  solicit 
something  from  the  King.  To  my  belief,  it  was  a  change 
of  Ministry. 

When   this  promenade    along    the    outer   galleries  was 
finished,  the  King  stepped  inside  to  watch  the  commence- 


412  MEMOIRS  OF 

merit  of  the  official  quadrilles ;  but  no  sooner  had  the 
crowd  lost  him  from  sight,  than  loud  cries  issued  from  its 
midst.  A  flame  sprang  up  suddenly ;  it  came  from  all 
the  chairs  in  the  Palais-Royal  garden,  which  had  been 
heaped  up  to  make  room,  and  which  took  fire  without  its 
ever  being  discovered  who  was  guilty  of  the  outrage.  I 
remember  that  the  Comte  de  Rumily,  aide-de-camp  to 
M.  le  Due  d'Orleans,  was  as  one  distraught,  and  said 
to  me : 

*' Ah  !  now  we  shall  be  accused  of  not  taking  all  possible 
precautions,  whereas  there  is  not  one  of  which  we  did  not 
ourselves  make  certain." 

I  do  not  know  whose  fault  it  was.  The  public  accused 
the  Prefect  of  Police  of  inactivity,  but  it  was  generally 
believed  that,  in  so  far  as  the  blaze  was  concerned,  this 
had  been  caused  by  a  discarded  cigar-end.  In  any  case, 
the  sight  was  a  very  exciting  one,  but  there  were  no  serious 
accidents  reported  as  the  result  of  the  fire.  The  departure 
of  the  King,  through  the  same  crowd,  was  effected  without 
difficulty,  and  the  ball  was  continued  with  great  spirit. 

This  was  the  end  of  the  official  pleasures  of  my  poor 
Princess  .  .  .  She  danced  till  daybreak,  and  I  remember 
that  a  fine  sunrise  lighted  my  drive  home. 

I  had  come  to  the  end  of  my  strength,  and  I  begged  for 
a  leave  of  some  weeks  in  order  to  join  my  husband  at  Jean- 
d'heurs,  secretly  resolved  to  return  for  the  opening  of  the 
Chambers,  which  marked  the  moment  when  would  burst 
out,  not  a  radical  revolution — we  were  far  from  believing 
that — but  an  inevitable  struggle.     I  wished  to  be  present 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  4,3 

at  this,  and  I  went  home  to  recover  the  necessary  strength. 
As  I  have  said,  my  husband,  who  had  been  appointed  by 
the  King  chairman  of  the  electoral  college  of  Verdun,  had 
left  at  the  commencement  of  May,  and  I  remember  that 
during  the  visit  to  Rosny,  the  King,  enquiring  after  the 
Marshal,  asked  me : 

"What  shall  we  obtain  from  the  elections?" 

"None  but  Opposition  members,  Sire!" 

"  Pooh  !  out  of  four  returned,  won't  there  be  one  on  the 
ministerial  side?  " 

"  He  does  not  think  so.  Sire." 

The  King  did  not  seem  convinced  ;  nothing  would  move 
him  from  his  sense  of  security.  Not  only  did  he  deceive 
himself,  but  he  was  deceived  by  those  about  him.  I  heard 
him  say  about  this  time  that,  to  satisfy  his  conscience  as  a 
Sovereign,  he  read  the  papers  of  the  most  opposite  shades, 
in  order  to  be  informed  of  the  opinion  of  the  masses. 

"Well  then,"  he  added,  '"when  you  come  to  learn  the 
number  of  subscribers,  you  see,  for  instance,  that  the  Gazette 
de  France  has  six  times  as  many  as  the  Constitwniid." 

The  exact  contrary  was  the  case.  Who  could  thus  have 
deceived  the  good  King  over  a  material  calculation  wiiich 
it  was  not  possible  for  him  to  verify  for  himself? 

At  the  end  of  the  first  fortnight  in  June,  I  announced 
to  the  Marshal  my  approaching  arrival  at  Jeand'heurs.  I 
wanted  to  see  him  again  before  his  departure  for  Verdun. 
I  was  quietly  making  my  preparations  and  my  farewell 
calls  in  Paris.  One  morning  I  had  forbidden  my  door  in 
the  Place  Vendome,  when   I  saw  Marshal  Marmont,  Due 


414  MEMOIRS  OF 

de  Raguse,  arrive,  who  had  insisted  upon  seeing  me.  He 
had,  if  you  remember,  taken  up  his  three-monthly  service 
as  Major-General  on  the  ist  of  May.  He  had  just  come 
from  Saint-Cloud,  where  the  King  was  already  in  residence 
for  the  summer. 

"  They  tell  me  you  are  going  back  to  Oudinot,"  he  said. 
"  Tell  him  again  what  I  have  told  him  so  often,  that  he  is 
the  luckiest  of  men  and  I  the  most  unlucky.  I  have  found 
a  new  proof  of  this  in  the  events  of  the  day  ;  your  husband 
has  passed  on  to  me  the  baton  of  command  for  the  precise 
quarter  during  which  the  Government  is  about  to  take  the 
most  dangerous  and  fatal  measures,  and  during  my  com- 
mand of  the  Royal  Guard  I  shall  have  to  give  military 
support  to  resolutions  which  I  deplore  as  much  for  the 
Dynasty  as  for  the  country.  Ah,  if  I  escape  the  almost 
certain  hazard  which  I  look  upon  as  immediate,  I  shall  ask 
for  a  long  leave,  and  let  all  these  questions  be  fought  out 
without  me,  while  I  remove  far  from  France  the  fatality 
which  has  always  pursued  me." 

I  listened  to  Marshal  Marmont  sadly,  although  I  en- 
deavoured to  refute  his  sombre  predictions. 

"  No,"  he  resumed,  "  I  can  hardly  be  deceived  since  I 
have  been  at  Saint-Cloud,  in  a  position  to  observe  all  that 
goes  on  about  the  King  ;  I  cannot  doubt  that  a  coup  d'Etat 
is  on  the  point  of  bursting  forth." 

Thereupon  he  left  me,  and  I  only  saw  him  once  more, 
when  I  was  myself  at  Saint-Cloud  on  the  eve  of  my 
departure.  There  I  dined  with  the  Comte  de  Cosse- 
Brissac,   one   of  our   best    friends,  together    with    a  large 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  415 

number  of  other  guests,  including  the  Due  de  Mortcmart, 
who  sat  beside  me.  He  had  just  returned  on  leave  from 
St,  Petersburg,  where  he  was  our  Ambassador. 

"  What  is  all  this  that  is  happening  here,  madame  la 
duchesse  > "  he  asked.  "  I  feel  as  though  I  had  fallen  from 
the  clouds ;  all  I  see  and  hear  makes  me  dread  a  coi(/> 
d'Etat  as  dangerous  as  it  is  ill-placed." 

This  language  of  men  devoted  to  France  and  to  the 
King  proved  to  me  more  and  more  that  a  crisis  was  in- 
evitable ;  but  I  only  expected  it  for  the  meeting  of  the 
Chambers  in  September,  and  I  hurried  as  much  as  possible 
to  join  my  husband  and  make  the  most  of  the  short  leave 
which  we  would  be  able  to  enjoy  together.  As  I  courtesied 
to  the  King  that  day  at  Saint-Cloud,  I  little  thought  that 
it  was  the  last  time  I  should  see  him  or  any  of  his  august 
Family.  Madame,  Duchesse  de  Berry,  had  stayed  in  Paris 
in  order  to  be  with  the  Court  of  Naples  till  the  last.  I 
took  leave  of  her  at  the  Pavilion  de  Marsan. 

I  left  with  my  daughters  on  the  25th  of  June.  We  had 
scarcely  passed  the  first  relays  when  my  carriage  broke. 
It  was  only  a  slight  accident,  and  it  was  being  repaired, 
when  a  loud  noise  was  heard  behind  us.  My  carriage  was 
drawn  to  the  side  of  the  road,  in  order  to  leave  the  middle 
of  the  road  to  a  number  of  equipages  with  six  horses 
apiece.  The  servants  wore  the  livery  of  Vi.  le  Due 
d'0rl6ans,  who  with  his  family  and  suite  was  conducting 
the  Court  of  Naples  to  his  place  at  Rency.  My  children 
and  I,  who  had  alighted  while  our  carriage  was  being 
repaired,  recognized  every  face.     All  passed  before  us  like 


41 6  MEMOIRS  OF 

an  arrow  from  the  bow.  It  was  the  last  picture  we  carried 
away  in  our  recollection. 

Shortly  after  my  arrival  we  were  able  to  celebrate  the 
capture  of  Algiers.  It  was  a  great  triumph  for  our  mili- 
tary and  naval  forces ;  we  rejoiced  at  it  with  all  our 
hearts,  and  I  still  feel  indignation  at  the  spirit  of  opposi- 
tion which  had  permeated  through  the  masses  and  pre- 
vented them  from  rejoicing,  like  true  Frenchmen,  at  so 
great  a  triumph. 

The  general  uneasiness  penetrated  even  into  our  country 
life.  At  last  we  reached  the  27th  of  July.  The  Marshal 
— I  can  still  see  him — was  playing  picquet  with  the  Mar- 
quis de  Montmort  ;  the  rest  of  the  company  and  I  were 
on  the  step  of  the  great  court-yard  when  we  saw  an  ex- 
press trotting  up  from  M.  de  Caunan,  who  had  lately  been 
appointed  Prefect  of  the  Meuse.  He  brought  a  message 
announcing  the  Orders  in  Council.  .  .  . 

Several  voices  exclaimed,  "Ah,  there  will  be  firing  !  " 

"  Perhaps  not,"  replied  the  Marshal,  who,  with  an  ap- 
parent calmness  with  which  he  was  endowed,  especially  for 
great  occasions,  always  endeavoured  to  preserve  the  cool- 
ness of  others  ;  "  we  m.ust  wait  and  see." 

As  far  as  he  was  concerned,  he  was  in  a  very  lawful 
position,  under  the  guarantee  of  an  official  order  of  the 
King,  who  had  sent  him  to  the  Meuse  as  president  of  an 
electoral  college  ;  and  during  the  period  of  the  terrible 
days  that  ensued,  he  was  obliged  to  say  to  himself,  "  I  am 
at  my  post,  and  my  Sovereign  knows  where  to  find  me,  so 
as  to  send  me  to  my  command  at  Metz  if  necessary  ;  and  I 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  417 

cannot  and  must  not  attempt  to  hasten  to  another  field  to 
which  I  have  not  yet  been  summoned,  and  thus  risk  crossing 
with  useful  orders  which  might  be  addressed  to  me  here." 
■He  was  able  to,  and  did,  say  to  himself,  "  In  case  a  new 
revolution  is  threatened,  they  would  not  repeat  the  mistake 
they  committed  in  181 5,  when  they  neglected  to  send  me 
my  orders  in  time  to  that  military  post  of  incontestable 
importance;  I  am  within  twenty-five  leagues  of  it,  and 
they  know  that  ;  let  us  not  spoil  anything  as  the  result  of 
an  intemperate  zeal  which  might  lead  me  aside  from  the 
useful  and  lawful  road  in  which  I  am  at  present.  In  any 
case,"  said  the  Marshal  to  me,  "  you,  my  dear,  who  are  in 
a  special  position,  and  particularly  attached  to  the  person 
of  your  Princess:  if  circumstances  become  difficult  for  her, 
you  will  go  to  her  at  once." 

I  must  remind  you  that  at  this  time  we  were  still  reduced 
to  the  slow  service  of  the  ordinary  post.  We  were  not 
on  the  line  of  the  aerial  telegraphs,  and  communications 
underwent  a  delay  of  which  you  have  no  idea  nowa- 
days ;  and  in  spite  of  our  eager  impatience,  which  dated 
from  the  first  news  of  the  Orders,  we  were  necessarily 
between  twenty-four  and  thirty-six  hours  behind  events. 
At  last  the  news  of  the  28th  July,  which  did  not  reach  us 
until  the  29th  or  30th,  determined  my  personal  departure. 
The  Marshal  sent  with  me  his  first  aide-de-camp,  tiie 
Comte  de  Bourcet,  and  I  started  with  the  two-fold  object 
of  returning  to  my  post  at  the  moment  of  danger  and  of 
obtaining  orders  and  directions  for  the  Marshal  from  the 
King. 


41 8  MEMOIRS  OF 

The  details  which  decided  my  departure  were  such  that 
it  was  with  extreme  emotion  tliat  I  left  my  husband  and 
children  behind  me.  ...  I  knew  not  how  far  I  should 
be  able  to  travel,  nor  what  I  should  find  when  I  arrived. 
They  were  fighting  in  the  streets  of  Paris,  that  was  all 
that  seemed  to  be  certain.  In  this  conviction,  it  was 
decided  that  if  1  could  come  within  sight  of  the  capital, 
in  order  to  know  whether  it  was  possible  to  cross  the 
barricades  with  which  it  was  filled,  I  should  first  turn 
aside  and  go  to  Stains,  which  is  two  leagues  on  our  side 
of  it,  and  then  go  to  my  post,  employing  every  possible 
chance  of  reaching  it. 

All  the  public  services  were  suspended  ;  there  were  no 
diligences  on  the  road,  which  we  travelled  as  fast  as  pos- 
sible. At  one  place  where  we  stopped,  we  heard  that 
the  population  of  Paris  had  triumphed  over  the  army,  and 
especially  over  the  Royal  Guard,  and  had  loaded  the  guns 
with  human  bodies,  including  that  of  Marshal  Marmont. 
...  In  spite  of  the  horror  of  this  information,  in  which  I 
refused  to  believe,  you  will  understand  nevertheless  that 
my  impressions  grew  gloomier  as  w^e  approached  the 
capital.  At  Epernay  we  were  asked  for  our  passports. 
A  company  of  National  Guards,  more  than  hostile  and 
almost  brutal,  surrounded  us  with  their  bayonets.  I  had 
assumed  one  of  my  Christian  names  for  the  purpose  of 
this  passport,  which  had  been  given  me  at  Bar.  M.  de 
Bourcet,  who  had  cut  off  his  mustachios,  declared  himself 
to  be  a  merchant,  and  at  last  we  were  allowed  to  pass, 
after  being  looked  upon  with  great  suspicion. 


MARSHAL  OUDTNOT  419 

At  last  we  reached  Stains,  and  I  immediately  despatched 
M.  de  Bourcet  to  Paris.  We  had  learnt  the  worst  of  the 
events  that  had  taken  place.  I  had  read  Louis-PhiHppe's 
proclamation,  which  contained  the  followini,^  words  :  "  The 
Charter  will  at  last  be  a  truth,"  &c.  This  document  had 
followed  upon  the  successive  abdications  of  the  King  and 
M.  le  Dauphin,  both  of  which  were  signed  in  favour  of  I\I. 
le  Due  de  Bordeaux,  whose  minority  was  entrusted  to  M. 
le  Due  d'Orlcans,  appointed  Regent  of  the  Kingdom  by 
Charles  X.  The  Prince's  proclamation  was  silent  as  to  this 
fact,  and  I  learnt,  moreover,  that  the  whole  Royal  Family 
had  been  obliged  to  leave  Saint-Cloud  and  to  flee  before 
the  triumphant  revolution. 

Whither  had  it  fled  ?  How  did  the  present  stand  ? 
How  the  future  ?  All  this  succession  of  events  had  been 
communicated  to  me  in  one  breath  during  my  stoppage 
at  Stains  by  an  old  relation  of  M.  Hainguerlot,  who 
occupied  the  estate.  Need  I  depict  to  you  my  anguish 
while  waiting  for  fresh  details  .''  Every  minute  seemed 
a  century,  and  yet  everyone  did  all  in  his  power  to  assist 
me. 

General  Pajol  had  at  once  assumed  a  prominent  position 
in  the  Provisional  Government,  and  his  wife — your  sister, 
my  children — was  the  first  person  who  came  to  see  me. 
Laying  aside  the  triumph  of  her  opinion,  which  had  been 
consistently  opposed  to  the  Restoration  since  the  Hundred 
Days,  she  saw  before  her  nothing  but  my  personal  lot,  of 
which  she  understood  all  the  duties  and  difficulties.  Plac- 
ing herself  entirely  at  my  disposal,  she  returned  to  Paris, 


4^0  MEMOIRS  OF 

at  nvy  request,  to  beg  her  husband  to  procure  me,  by 
means  of  his  new  powers,  the  means  of  joining  the  Royal 
Family,  whose  whereabouts  were  at  that  time  still  un- 
known. On  the  other  hand  arrived  M.  and  Mme.  de 
Vatry,  with  their  pockets  full  of  bank-notes,  which  they 
placed  at  my  disposition  in  case  I  was  to  set  out  at  once 
for  some  unknown  place  of  exile.  The  precautions  I  had 
taken  saved  me  from  the  necessity  of  accepting  their  great 
kindness. 

M.  de  Bourcet  returned  heart-broken  and  distraught 
at  the  things  he  had  seen  in  Paris.  Kind  M.  de  Xain- 
trailles,  another  of  my  husband's  aides-de-camp,  had  also 
hastened  to  offer  me  his  services.  1  was  filled  with  grati- 
tude, but  my  fevered  mind,  wandering  from  your  father  to 
you,  my  children,  and  from  you  to  the  Royal  Family,  did 
not  know  where  to  find  rest.  Dear  Mme.  de  Vatry  herself 
served  me  with  an  improvised  supper  which  she  had  cooked 
with  her  own  hands  in  the  kitchen.  I  threw  myself  for  a 
few  hours  on  my  bed,  and  awoke  on  the  morning  of  the  2nd 
of  August  more  broken  than  ever,  to  await  my  news  from 
Paris.  Mme.  Pajol  returned  with  the  reply  of  the  Pro- 
visional Government,  which  was  presided  over  by  Marshal 
Gerard.  It  was  to  the  effect  that  no  human  power  could 
at  that  moment  assure  my  safe  journey  through  a  popular 
rising  which  was  that  very  day  directing  its  steps  from 
Paris  to  the  Chateau  de  Rambouillet,  where  the  King  and 
his  Family  had  taken  refuge. 

In  this  extremity  there  was,  I  thought,  but  one  step  for 
me  to  take  :  to  return  to  my  husband,  explain  the  situation 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  421 

to  him,  and  take  his  orders  before  joining  an  emigration 
which  was  bound  to  be  the  result  of  recent  events.  Then, 
if  he  gave  me  liberty  of  action,  I  could  place  my  children, 
who  were  still  very  young,  in  a  place  of  safety,  and  as 
quickly  as  possible  join  in  her  exile  the  Princess  with  whom 
I  had  lived  when  she  was  on  the  steps  of  the  Throne. 

With  this  intention  I  addres.sed  the  following  letter  to 
Her  Royal  Highness : 

"Stains,  9  August  1S30. 

"  Madame, 

"  At  the  first  news  of  the  terrible  troubles  in  Paris,  I 
set  out  to  come  and  join  you.  I  was  able  to  come  as  far 
as  here,  whence  I  hoped  to  reach  Saint-Cloud.  Your 
Royal  Highness  had  just  left.  .  .  .  No  one  is  able  to  tell  me 
exactly  where  you  are.  In  my  deep  sorrow,  not  wishing 
to  set  foot  in  Paris,  I  am  returning  to  the  only  spot  of 
ground  which  belongs  to  me.  If  I  there  find  my  husband 
and  my  children,  if  God,  whom  I  implore  for  them  and  for 
you,  Madame,  allows  me  to  meet  them  again,  I  will  await 
your  orders  in  that  spot,  prepared  at  the  first  summons 
that  reaches  me  from  Your  Royal  Highness,  to  share  )-our 
prison  or  your  exile,  if  such  is  to  be  your  lot. 

"Adieu,  Madame.  Believe  that  my  torn  heart  is  always 
faithful  to  you.     I  am,  &c." 

After  writing  this  letter,  I  handed  it  to  M.  Morel,  for 
whom  I  had  sent  to  Stains  ;  he  faithfully  carried  out  his 
instructions.  I  had  left  my  letter  open,  and  again  through 
General  Pajol's  intermediary,  I  applied  to  the  Provisional 


422  MEMOIRS  OF 

Government  to  protect  my  messenger,  and  assist  him  in 
reaching  his  destination  with  all  possible  speed  ;  but 
General  Pajol  was  unable  to  see  to  this  in  person,  because 
he  had  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  the  popular  move- 
ment which  was  directed  upon  Rambouillet,  with  the 
object  of  hastening  the  Royal  Family's  departure  from 
France.  I  have  always  believed  that  the  intention  both 
of  General  Pajol  and  of  Colonel  Jacqueminot,  who  accom- 
panied him,  was  to  restrain  this  populace  which  it  was 
impossible  to  hold  back,  and  to  oppose  with  all  their 
might  any  attempts  which  should  go  beyond  threats. 
Nevertheless,  it  was  a  melancholy  command  for  these  two 
brilliant  soldiers  to  hold. 

They  were  joined  at  Rambouillet  by  commissaries  of 
the  so-called  Government  of  the  moment,  who  preceded 
the  mob  and  warned  the  King,  who  consented  to  admit 
them  to  his  presence.  It  was  Marshal  Maison  and  M, 
Odilon  Barrot  in  particular  who  acted  as  spokesmen. 
And  dear  it  cost  them  ! 

The  King  could  still  have  defended  himself  with  the 
troops  which  had  accompanied  him  so  far,  but  his  sorrow 
at  the  blood  which  had  already  been  spilt,  and  the  fear 
of  causing  still  more  to  flow,  decided  him  to  take  the  road 
of  exile  at  once.  .  .  . 

You  know  the  rest.  .  .  . 

Nothing  particular  interfered  with  our  return  journey, 
although  there  was  considerable  traffic  along  the  road. 
We  observed  in  particular  a  number  of  men  walking  singly 
and  dressed  in  blue  blouses ;  almost  all  of  these  seemed  to 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  423 

be  new,  and  we  soon  guessed  that  they  must  be  soldiers  of 
the  Guard  which  had  been  dissolved  by  the  force  of  events 
and  which  was  quickly  disbanded.  Thus  it  was  for  doing 
their  duty  that  these  brave  troops  were  obliged  to  conceal 
their  uniforms  before  Frenchmen  and  brothers  ! 

Victor,  who  had  obtained  leave  to  go  to  the  Pyrenees 
with  his  wife,  hastened  back  to  his  command  at  Saumur, 
not  to  recognize  the  new  Government,  because  he  sent  in 
his  resignation  at  once,  but  to  keep  order  within  the 
Cavalry  School  until  he  should  be  replaced. 

I  reached  Jeand'heurs  at  the  same  time  as  Marshal 
Molitor,  who  had  arrived  from  his  seat  to  arrange  with  my 
husband  as  to  what  was  to  be  done.  I  described  all  I  had 
seen  and  heard,  but  I  was  not  yet  able  to  tell  anything  of 
what  had  happened  at  Rambouillet  since  I  had  left  Stains. 

One  important  fact  had  at  last  become  known  to  all : 
this  was  the  conditional  abdication,  of  which  I  have  spoken 
above,  of  Charles  X.  in  favour  of  the  Dauphin  his  son,  and 
of  the  latter  in  favour  of  the  Uuc  de  Bordeaux,  placing  the 
government  in  the  hands  of  M.  le  Due  d'Orleans  as  Regent 
during  the  minority  of  the  child.  This  document  was 
deposited  in  the  State  archives,  and  must  be  there  still ; 
but  M.  le  Due  d'Orleans,  while  accepting  the  Regency, 
kept  silence  as  to  the  rest.  The  Chambers  were  convoked, 
and  the  two  marshals  had  no  doubt  but  that  the  hereditary 
rights  of  M.  le  Due  de  Bordeaux  would  be,  if  not  recog- 
nized, at  least  discussed  ;  and  it  was  with  this  thought  that 
they  both  left  Jeand'heurs,  on  the  5th  of  August,  to  take 
their  places  in  the  House  of  Peers,  and  put  the  weight  of 


424  MEMOIRS  OF 

their  votes  and  opinions  in  the  balance  in  favour  of  M.  le 
Due  de  Bordeaux. 

I  will  not  enter  into  the  details  which,  to  my  husband's 
great  grief,  obliged  him  to  recognize  the  only  power  which, 
in  this  alarming  crisis,  offered  to  save  France  from  a  stormy 
republic,  with  all  its  terrible  consequences.  He  realized  in 
the  end  that  he  owed  the  support  of  his  person  and  of  his 
lofty  military  position  to  his  country.  But  though  this 
decision  satisfied  his  conscience,  it  grievously  afflicted  his 
heart.  I  on  my  side  bent  beneath  the  weight  of  so  many 
emotions,  and  waited  from  hour  to  hour  for  the  decision 
which  Madame,  Duchesse  de  Berry,  would  take  with  re- 
spect to  myself.  I  had  heard  particulars  of  the  departure 
from  Rambouillet,  and  I  knew  that  they  were  making  for 
Normandy,  and  that  M.  Morel  had  been  able  to  leave  and 
follow  the  same  road  ;  but  where  w^ould  it  lead  the  Royal 
Family  and  my  messenger? 

A  long  week  was  spent  in  this  uncertainty,  when  at  last 
arrived,  not  M.  Morel  in  person,  as  I  expected,  but  a  letter 
from  him,  informing  me  that  he  had  succeeded  in  joining 
Madame,  Duchesse  de  Berry,  in  Calvados,  and  sending  me 
Her  Royal  Highness's  reply,  of  which  this  is  a  copy : 

"  Vire  (Calvados),  ii  August. 

"  I  have  received  your  note,  dear  duchesse,  and  it  was 
like  you  to  send  it.  As  we  do  not  know  where  we  shall 
go  after  stopping  at  Cherbourg,  I  advise  you  to  stay  quietly 
at  Jeand'heurs  ;  so  soon  as  I  have  a:rrived  anywhere,  I  will 
write  to  you. 


MARSHAL  OUDINOr  425 

"  I  have  sent  M.  Nichols  to  Paris  to  arrange  my  affairs 
and  pay  my  debts,  so  that  every  one  may  be  satisfied  under 
these  circumstances.  He  will  come  to  an  arrangement 
with  Sassenay,  Morel,  Cuchetet,  Mme.  de  Xoaillcs,  as 
regards  the  different  services  and  the  money. 

"  He  has  an  unlimited  power  of  attorney. 

"  My  children  are  well;  I,  sad  at  leaving  this  beautiful 
France,  which  I  regarded  as  my  country.  Pray  for  us  and 
make  your  children  pray :  I  embrace  them.  As  for  your- 
self, believe  that,  in  misfortune  as  in  prosperity,  )-ou  ha\c 
no  better  friend  than 

"C. 

"  MM.  de  Mesnard  and  de  Brissac,  Mmes.  de  Bouillc  and 
Charette  send  you  their  kind  regards." 

She  told  me  to  wait  at  Jcand'heurs  and  to  stay  there 
quietly;  I  naturally  accepted  the  former  recommendation  ; 
as  to  the  latter,  it  did  not  lie  with  me  to  submit  to  it.  The 
Marshal's  position  in  Paris,  the  general  condition  of  the 
Kingdom,  the  thoughts  with  which  the  august  exiles 
inspired  me,  were  not  these  enough  to  bring  sadness  to  m\- 
days  and  sleeplessness  to  my  nights?  I  waited,  but  not 
without  renewing  my  instances  to  Madame  to  be  allowed  to 
rejoin  her,  when  I  knew  she  was  settled  in  ICdinburgh.  She 
did  not  accept  my  offer,  and  our  relations  were  suspended 
until  the  day  when  I  heard  she  was  im.prisoncd  at  Bla\-e. 

The  Revolution  of  1830,  like  that  of  18  [5,  brought  about 
a  fresh  change  in  my  husband's  position  and  fortune.  The 
Marshal  had  stayed  in  Paris,  where  all  was  in  a  ferment, 

23 


426  MEMOIRS  OF 

with  his  son  Auguste,  who,  deprived  of  his  commission  in 
the  Hussars  of  the  Guard,  beheld,  while  in  the  flower  of 
his  age,  his  chances  of  promotion  shattered  for  the  second 
time.  By  an  anomaly  upon  which  history  will  pronounce 
its  judgment,  the  Revolution  of  July,  not  content  with 
deposing  the  King  and  his  successors,  acted  with  nameless 
inconsistency,  and  wished  to  penalize  the  Ministers,  who 
were  always  responsible,  under  a  Constitutional  Charter, 
for  what  it  blamed  the  Sovereign  himself  for.  But  logically 
it  must  be  one  thing  or  the  other,  and  so  soon  as  the 
Throne  was  upset,  the  responsibility  of  the  Ministry  dis- 
appeared with  it.  And  yet  they  were  violently  preparing 
to  impeach  that  Ministry.  The  Marshal  stayed  in  Paris 
with  the  intention  of  bringing  the  weight  of  his  opinion 
and  of  his  exertions  to  bear  in  favour  of  impartiality. 

The  exasperation  of  the  public  was  directed  mainly 
against  the  head  of  the  late  Cabinet,  the  Prince  Jules  de 
Polignac.  If  the  latter  had  erred  in  judgment,  he  had 
sufficient  heart  to  believe  in  its  existence  in  others  ;  and 
amidst  the  cries  of  death  which  threatened  his  head,  he 
conceived  the  noble  thought  of  confiding  his  defence  to  his 
principal  antagonist,  M.  de  Martignac,  the  head  of  the  pre- 
ceding Cabinet.  His  appeal  did  not  fall  upon  deaf  ears  ; 
and  that  noble  heart,  whose  beats  were  numbered,  know- 
ingly, and  at  the  risk  of  what  remained  of  his  life,  accepted 
this  great  task.  He  never  fell  below  the  level  of  the  situa- 
tion, and  the  last  accents  of  this  ever  powerful  and  persuasive 
voice  left  an  eternal  remembrance  of  the  man  M.  de  Mar- 
tignac was.     He  did  not  survive  his  advocacy  many  months. 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  427 

Thenceforward  we  spent  the  three  winter  months  at  Bar, 
the  town  to  which  I  was  so  attached,  while  each  spring 
found  us  once  more  at  Jeand'heurs.  The  cholera  which 
broke  out  in  1832  crushed  our  family  by  the  death  of  my 
step-daughter,  the  Comtesse  Pajol,  that  exceptionally  gifted 
creature,  who  was  carried  away  in  the  prime  of  life.  The 
pestilence  committed  ravages  everywhere,  and  especially 
in  Lorraine. 

For  some  time  I  had  been  greatly  agitated  by  the  war 
in  the  Vendee  attempted  by  Madame,  Duchesse  de  Bcrr)-. 
I  had  followed  her  destinies  with  my  heart ;  I  knew  that 
she  had  left  the  King  and  the  Royal  Family  in  Edinburgh 
to  go  to  Italy,  where  she  had  spent  almost  the  whole  of 
the  year  1831.  I  had  for  some  time  been  ignorant  of 
Madame's  movements,  when,  in  the  spring  of  1832,  the  news 
spread  of  her  arrival  in  Provence,  followed  soon  after  by 
her  march  to  the  Vendee.  I  beheld  a  mother's  devotion  in 
this  bold  resolve,  but  I  did  not  for  a  moment  believe  in  its 
success.  I  suffered  agonies,  therefore,  during  the  period  of 
this  hazardous  enterprise.  My  fears  were  vague,  but  the\- 
were  realized  in  the  early  part  of  November,  when  \\c 
received,  with  all  its  heart-rending  details,  the  news  of  Her 
Royal  Highness's  arrest,  and  heard  that  she  had  first  been 
imprisoned  in  Nantes  Castle,  and  next  sent,  by  sea,  to  a 
citadel  at  Blaye  ! 

Nantes !  where  two  years  before  I  had  seen  her,  so  to 
speak,  carried  shoulder  high  in  triumph  !  Blaye  !  where 
in  the  same  year  she  had  been  received  with  transports ! 

You  can  well  imagine  that  my  first  movement  was  to 


428  MEMOIRS  OF 

demand  the  place  m  attendance  on  her,  in  her  State 
prison,  which  I  had  formerly  the  right  to  occupy  at  the 
Tuileries.  This  is  the  letter  which  I  at  once  wrote  to  the 
august  prisoner : 

"  Madame, 

"  Since  the  news  of  your  arrest,  I  have  but  one 
thought,  that  of  sharing  your  captivity.  I  would  have 
endeavoured  to  do  so  at  once,  had  I  not  been  told  that, 
before  all,  Your  Royal  Highness's  permission  was  neces- 
sary. I  ask  this  from  your  old  kindness  for  me. 
"  I  have  the  honour  to  be,  &c. 
"  Jeand'heurs,  ii  November  1832." 

To  this  letter,  which  I  left  unsealed,  I  added  another. 
Relying  upon  the  promise  which  Queen  Marie  Amelie, 
immediately  after  she  was  called  to  share  her  husband's 
throne,  had  made  me  declare  to  her,  to  use  her  aiitJiority 
upon  every  occasion  when  I  sJioiild  stand  in  fieed  of  it,  I 
addressed  the  following  letter  to  her : 

"  Madame, 

"  I  come  to  beg  of  your  kindness  a  favour  upon  which 
I  set  the  highest  value :  it  is  that  you  will  be  so  good  as 
to  read  and  cause  to  be  conveyed  to  Madame,  Duchesse 
de  Berry,  the  enclosed  letter ;  and  if  the  offer  which  it 
contains  is  accepted,  I  shall  also  have  to  beg  Your 
Majesty's  assistance  so  that  the  gates  of  the  prison  may 
be  opened  to  me. 

"  If  my  request  is  bold,  I  implore  you  to  forgive  me ; 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  429 

but,  under  the  circumstances,  I  could  think  of  nothing  but 
to  turn  to  Your  Majesty,  of  whose  kindness  to  me  I  am  so 
well  assured. 

"Persuaded  as  I  am  that  no  one  will  sec  any  political 
intention  in  the  step  I  am  taking-,  I  feel,  from  the  con- 
fidence with  which  I  am  moved,  that  I  shall  not  have 
reason  to  regret  my  impulse. 

"  I  have  the  honour  to  be,  &c. 

"Jeand'heurs,  ii  November  1832. 

I  enclosed  both  these  letters  to  General  Oudinot,  and 
asked  him  to  obtain  an  audience  of  the  Queen  at  once. 
This  was  immediately  granted  him,  and  he  found  her  in 
tears. 

"I  was  prepared,"  said  she,  "for  this  step  on  your  step- 
mother's part,  and  I  wish  with  all  my  heart  that  she  may 
reach  my  niece.  It  does  not  depend  wholly  upon  me ;  it 
must  be  brought  before  the  Ministers  in  Council ;  but 
you  can  rely  upon  my  wishes  and  my  good -will." 

My  letters  were  brought  before  the  Council  and  dis- 
cussed. An  express  was  sent  to  Blaye,  and  the  following 
reply  reached  me,  unsealed,  by  care  of  the  President  of 
the  Council,  Marshal  Soult : 

"Chateau  do  Blaye,  23  November  1S32. 

"You  cannot  doubt,  my  dear  duchesse,  how  touched  I 
was  at  receiving  your  letter,  which  was  sent  me  enclosed 
in  a  very  charming  note  from  the  Marquis  Oudinot,  whom 
I  beg  you  to  thank  for  me.     I  do  not  accept  your  offer; 


430  MEMOIRS  OF 

the  sacrifice  would  be  too  <^reat.  I  know  how  much  your 
family  needs  your  care,  and  I  should  never  forgive  myself 
for  depriving  them  of  it.  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  have 
news  of  you  and  yours. 

"  Do  not  doubt,  my  dear  duchessc,  my  gratitude  and  my 
friendship. 

"  My  health  is  not  good,  but  I  have  courage  and 
patience. 

{Signed)         "  Marie-Caroline. 

"  M.  de  Mesnard  begs  to  be  remembered  to  you." 
To  this  I  replied  as  follows : 

"  Bar-le-Duc,  i  December  1832. 

"  On  reading  your  generous  refusal,  inspired  by  my 
family  feeling  and  duties,  I  thought  that  I  ought  to  have 
the  honour  to  renew  my  application,  assuring  you,  Madame, 
that  I  should  consider  nothing  too  much  to  surround  you 
with  the  care  which  my  duty  and  my  respect  command  me  ; 
for  it  is  especially  in  a  circumstance  of  this  kind  that  it 
behoves  me  to  give  you  a  proof  of  the  attachment  with 
which  your  former  kindness  has  inspired  me." 

The  above  words,  my  children,  are  copied  from  the  draft 
in  your  father's  handwriting  ;  I  made  so  little  alteration 
in  the  sense  of  his  words  that  I  prefer  to  give  his  text 
rather  than  mine.  But  meanwhile  the  Marshal  was 
suddenly  seized  with  an  illness  so  serious  that  it  made 
us  dread  cholera,  which  was  still  so  near  us  !  General 
Oudinot,  his  wife  and  his    son  arrived  at  once  ;    prompt 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  431 

care  delivered  us  from  our  mortal  fears,  and  \vc  arrived 
at  Bar,  so  as,  in  this  bad  season  of  the  year,  to  be  more 
within  reach  of  assistance.  It  was  only  from  there  that, 
on  the  14th  of  December,  I  despatched  my  second  letter 
to  Madame,  Duchesse  de  Berry,  enclosing  it  to  Marshal 
Soult,  with  the  following  lines  : 

"  Monsieur  le  mariiciial, 

"  My  husband's  serious  and  painful  illness  has  taken 
up  all  my  thought  and  time,  and  has  prevented  me  until 
to-day  from  sending  my  reply  to  the  letter  of  Madame, 
Duchesse  de  Berry.  I  am  now  easier  in  my  mind,  and  my 
first  care,  monsieur  le  marechal,  is  once  more  to  beg  you  to 
be  so  good  as  to  forward  my  renewed  application  to  Blaye. 

"  If  in  the  first  instance  I  applied  to  the  Queen,  this  was 
not  to  deny  your  competency,  monsieur  la  marechal,  but 
so  as  to  have  a  powerful  chance  of  success  the  more ;  I 
knew  that  this  affair  would  subsequently  follow  its  usual 
course  and  fall  beneath  your  infiuence,  which  I  was  far 
from  doubting. 

"General  Oudinot  has  not  failed  to  tell  me  of  your  kind 
disposition  towards  me.  The  reason  I  am  not  confiding 
this  letter  to  him  to  deliver  to  you  is  that  he  is  detained 
here  on  account  of  his  father's  health." 

Here  is  the  Marshal's  reply  : 

"Paris,  20  December  1832. 

"  Madame  la  MARficiiALE, 

"  I  learnt  with  much  regret  from  the  letter  which  you 
did  me  the  honour  to  write  to  me  on  the  14th  of  this  month 


432  MEMOIRS  OF 

that  M.  Ic  Marcchal  Due  dc  Rcggio  was  ill  and  in  great 
pain  ;  but  I  have  since  heard  the  good  news  of  his  recovery 
to  health.     I  beg  you  to  assure  him  of  my  sympathy. 

"  Your  letter  enclosed  one   for   Madame,  Duchesse  de 
Berry,     I  have  the  honour  to  inform  you  that  I  have  for- 
warded it  to  M.  le  Colonel  Chousserie,  principal  governor 
of  the  Citadel  of  Blaye,  who  will  deliver  it. 
"  Accept,  madame  la  marcchale,  &c., 

{Signed)        "  Marshal  Due  de  Dalmatie." 

I  received  no  answer  to  my  letter  of  the  ist  of  December, 
and  it  was  a  great  shock  to  me  when  in  the  course  of 
the  winter  of  1832  to  1833  I  read,  in  the  Moniteur,  an 
official  declaration  of  Madame,  Duchesse  de  Berry,  dated 
from  Blaye,  and  announcing  that  Her  Royal  Highness 
had  contracted  a  second  marriage  during  her  stay  in 
Italy  in  1831.  It  was  not  until  later  that  the  Princess 
declared  that  she  had  married  Count  di  Lucchesi-Palli 
whose  name  had  not  appeared  in  her  first  announcement. 
She  doubtless  had  political  motives  for  suppressing  this 
name  which  she  alone  was  able  to  appreciate ;  but  all  her 
friends  regretted  this  omission,  which  was  not  easily  ex- 
plained in  the  eyes  of  the  public.  The  authentic  proofs  of 
this  union  are  incontestable  ;  but  Madame  did  not  think  fit 
to  supply  them  until  later. 

The  first  child  born  of  this  second  marriage  was  a 
daughter.  It  was  born  at  Blaye,  a  short  while  before  the 
liberation  of  Her  Royal  Highness,  who  took  ship  with  the 
child.     Count   di    Lucchesi   had   come  to  meet  his  wife. 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  433 

They  sailed  to  Italy,  and  it  was  long  before  we  heard  any 
details  concerning  the  new  mode  of  life  which  her  Royal 
Highness  had  adopted.  We  only  knew  that  she  had  been 
very  fraternally  received  by  King  Ferdinand,  her  brother. 

After  all  these  events,  I  secluded  myself  more  than 
ever  in  my  life  at  Jeand'heurs,  We  come  to  June  1835. 
Auguste's  letters,  more  and  more  exciting  and  more  and 
more  honourable  in  all  that  concerned  his  difficult  duties  as 
chief  of  a  corps,  kept  us  in  a  feverish  alternation,  when 
suddenly  he  announced  to  us,  as  a  sort  of  deliverance  for 
him,  that  he  was  at  last  about  to  march  against  Abd-el- 
Kader,  who  was  defying  the  French  army  in  the  province 
of  Oran. 

"  General  Trezel,"  said  Auguste  in  his  letter,  "  takes  an 
enormous  responsibility  upon  himself  in  attacking  the  I'^mir 
under  our  present  conditions  ;  but  as  that  question  is  not 
for  me  to  decide,  I  only  know  one  thing,  and  that  is  that 
we  are  at  last  going  to  fight  the  enemy." 

Here,  my  children,  it  needs  all  m\'  courage  to  relate  a 
catastrophe  which  rent  all  our  hearts.  So  acute  were  the 
young  colonel's  presentiments  on  the  eve  of  his  departure 
for  this  campaign,  that  he  made  his  will.  Alas,  he  was 
but  too  right  in  what  he  foresaw  ;  and  the  ill-calculated 
engagement  would  have  become  disastrous  for  our  arms,  if 
Auguste's  regiment  (the  2nd  Chasseurs  d'Afriiiuc),  which 
formed  the  advance-guard,  had  not  thrown  itself  into  the 
post  of  danger. 

"  Forwards  !  "  cried  the  colonel.  "  For  the  honour  of  the 
regiment !     Forwards  ! " 


434  MEMOIRS  OF 

He  was  the  first,  and  the  first  to  fall,  struck  with  a  bullet 
in  the  forehead. 

Your  father  was  kept  in  Paris  by  the  sittings  of  the 
House.  His  heart  was  pierced  through  and  through. 
There  are  certain  feelings  that  cannot  be  expressed.  One 
day,  when  we  were  having  a  low  mass  said  in  the  chapel  of 
Jeand'heurs  for  this  brave  soul,  the  Marshal's  sobs  revealed 
his  presence  at  this  ceremony,  of  which  we  had  not  told 
him,  so  as  to  spare  his  sorrow.  Soon  there  arrived  from 
Africa  Auguste's  trunks,  with  his  blood-stained  arms.  What 
a  life  was  ours  at  Jeand'heurs  after  this  misfortune  !  What 
a  terrible  loss,  this  young  man,  with  his  brilliant  future,  who 
had  always  been  the  glory  and  the  charm  of  his  family ! 

In  August  1837  my  daughter  Louise  was  asked  in  mar- 
riage by  the  young  Comte  Ludovic  de  Vesins.  His  name 
had  appealed  to  me  from  the  beginning  because  it  had  been 
borne  by  a  friend  of  my  father's,  who  had  been  imprisoned 
with  him  under  the  Revolution ;  and  he  himself  was  en- 
dowed with  every  gift.  First  introduced  to  us  by  the 
Comte  de  Courchamp,  he  one  morning  announced  to  us  the 
approaching  arrival  of  his  father,  whom  all  of  you,  my 
children  and  grand-children,  have  known  and  honoured. 
The  worthy  and  saintly  Abb^  de  Vesins  had  married  Mile, 
de  Faramond  when  only  twenty  years  of  age,  and  had  been 
left  a  widower  with  five  children.  He  had  embraced  the 
ecclesiastical  state  eighteen  months  before  he  was  called 
upon  to  bless  the  union  of  his  eldest  son  with  my  daughter. 
The  nuptial  ceremony  was  celebrated  at  Jeand'heurs  on  the 
4th  of  October. 


MARSHAL  OUDINOr  435 

Shortly  afterwards,  the  Marshal,  called  to  the  House  of 
Peers,  went  to  Paris,  after  installing  us  at  Bar-le-Duc  for 
the  winter.  But  man  proposes  and  God  disposes.  Faithful 
to  an  old  remembrance  of  which  he  made  a  dut)-,  )-our 
father  attended  an  anniversary  service  which  was  celebrated 
for  Queen  Hortense.  The  cold  was  severe,  and  your  father 
brought  back  a  serious  illness  from  church.  At  first  the 
grave  nature  of  the  attack  was  concealed  from  me  ;  but 
General  Oudinot,  with  his  kind  friendliness,  revealed  the 
truth  to  me.  I  called  for  my  post-horses,  and  for  the 
first  time  for  seven  years  found  myself  upon  the  road 
to  Paris,  which  I  was  now  about  to  enter  under  such 
sorrowful  circumstances.  I  travelled  with  Caroline  ;  the 
young  Vesins  couple  followed  in  their  own  carriage ; 
they  stayed  with  the  Marquis  and  IMarquise  Oudinot  in 
the  Rue  de  Bourgogne,  where  they  were  expected,  while 
I  joined  my  husband  at  the  Hotel  de  Bruxelles  in  the  Rue 
Richelieu. 

I  found  him  much  more  changed  than  I  expected  ;  and 
in  fact  he  had  suffered  much  more  than  cither  he  or  others 
had  admitted  to  me. 

The  Marshal  told  me  that  he  had  received  exceptional 
proofs  of  sympathy  in  this  circumstance  ;  and  in  particular 
a  letter  from  Prince  Louis-Napoleon,  of  which  the  following 
is  a  copy : 

"Goltlieh{I  think),  I4lh  Fchriiary  iSjS. 

"  Marshal, 

"I  had  charged  Mme.  Salvage  to  thank  you  on  my 
behalf  for  your  kindness  in  taking  part  in  the  last  honours 


436  MEMOIRS  OF 

shown  to  my  mother  :  I  did  not  wish  myself  to  trouble  you 
with  my  thanks  ;  but  as  I  have  just  learnt  that  soon  after 
the  funeral  ceremony  in  the  Rue  de  Rueil  you  were  taken 
ill,  I  hasten  to  express  to  you  my  regret.  Men  who,  like 
yourself,  have  contributed  to  shed  lustre  upon  the  Empire, 
are  always  sure  of  exciting  in  me  a  vivid  sympathy  ;  and 
it  is  therefore  with  feelings  of  gratitude  and  of  real  interest 
that  I  write  to  you  to-day  to  express  my  wishes  for  your 
prompt  recovery. 

"  Receive,  monsieur  le  marechal,  the  assurance  of  my 
high  esteem  and  of  my  distinguished  sentiments. 

{Signed)        "  NAPOLEON  Louis." 

On  the  other  side,  the  reigning  Family  displayed  a 
pressing  solicitude  throughout  the  Marshal's  illness. 

To  return  to  the  recent  past,  I  have  always  thought  that 
the  Due  d'Orleans  saw  the  dangers  multiply  around  the 
Elder  Branch  with  the  feeling  that,  there  being  no  possi- 
bility of  averting  them,  his  own  Dynasty  would  doubtless 
one  day  profit  by  them.  1  have  not  a  word  to  say  in 
justification  of  this  point  of  view.  I  say  that  when  he  was 
appointed  Regent  of  the  Kingdom  by  Charles  X.,  he  should 
have  done  everything  in  his  power  to  protect  the  Royal 
Orphan  ;  and  I  will  go  further  and  say  that  even  the 
impossibility  which  he  foresaw  of  this  reign  ever  taking 
place  should  not  have  stopped  him,  and  that  in  principle 
he  was  bound  to  fulfil  his  trust. 

When  I  found  your  father,  who  was  then  seventy-one 
years  of  age,  ill  and  alone  in  an  hotel,  I  took  the  firm 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  437 

resolve  to  leave  him  thenceforward  as  seldom  as  possible, 
and  this  great  anxiety  on  my  part  kept  me  in  Paris  and 
brought  me  back  whenever  the  Marshal  returned  there 
himself,  whatever  the  effort  might  cost  me. 

My  husband  was  ordered  to  take  the  waters  at  Bourbonne, 
and  the  season  we  spent  there  did  something  to  divert  our 
sadness.  On  his  return  the  Marshal  was  able  to  resume 
his  habits  of  activity.     A  second  season  was  ordered. 

About  this  time,  my  eldest  son  had  entered  as  a  sub- 
lieutenant in  the  i6th  Light  Horse.  Like  his  father,  he 
was  first  garrisoned  at  Perpignan,  and  it  was  touching, 
when  he  obtained  his  first  leave,  to  hear  the  father  question- 
ing the  son  about  the  situation  of  places  which  the  lapse 
of  half  a  century  had  not  effaced  from  his  memory. 

Charles  was  next  sent  to  Clermont-Ferrand,  where  a 
serious  riot  had  broken  out,  against  which  the  regiment 
was  obliged  to  take  up  arms.  After  doing  his  duty  and 
firing  on  a  French  population,  my  son  was  so  affected  by 
this  that  he  came  to  beseech  his  father  to  allow  iiim  to 
change  into  Africa. 

"  In  my  time,"  the  Marshal  said,  at  first,  "  one  remained 
with  one's  corps." 

"In  your  time,"  replied  the  young  man,  "there  was 
fighting  to  be  done  everywhere.  Now,  there  is  no  fighting 
except  in  Africa." 

The  Marshal  smiled,  made  no  further  opposition,  and 
Charles  entered  the  Zouaves.  Brave  lad,  what  a  reputation 
he  acquired  amongst  his  comrades  I  They  nicknamed  him 
"  Brave  de  nuit !  " 


438  MEMOIRS  OF 

It  was  after  my  Vesins  children  had  come  to  Hve  with 
us  that  CaroHne's  marriage  was  arranged  with  the  excellent 
and  loyal  Joseph  Perron,  whose  father  had  achieved  a 
glorious  career  in  the  Indies.  We  confidently  entrusted 
the  fate  of  our  angelic  child  to  this  worthy  man,  who  had 
no  other  fault  than  that  he  refused  to  allow  one  to  recognise 
the  qualities  with  which  he  was  endowed. 

To  the  advantages  of  his  personal  alliance  was  joined 
that  of  the  alliance  of  all  his  sisters  with  the  noblest  names 
in  France,  the  Montesquieus,  the  La  Rochefoucaulds,  the 
Nansoutys,  and  so  on,  families  with  which  my  husband  and 
I  were  already  on  an  excellent  footing.  The  marriage  was 
performed  with  every  Parisian  pomp  and  circumstance  in 
the  rooms  of  the  palace  of  the  Legion  of  Honour,  of  which 
the  Marshal  had  just  been  appointed  Grand  Chancellor, 
and  the  religious  ceremony  was  celebrated  in  the  chapel  of 
the  House  of  Peers  by  Mgr.  de  Vesins,^  who  had  come  up 
from  Agen  to  pronounce  the  nuptial  benediction. 

In  September  1845,  the  Marshal  agreed  to  exchange  his 
post  as  Grand  Chancellor  of  the  Legion  of  Honour  for  that 
of  Governor  of  the  Invalides.  He  had  always  preferred 
this  post  to  any  other  as  a  finish  to  his  career.  It  was  well 
suited  to  him,  I  agree.  But  I,  alas,  beheld  in  it  the  last 
stage.  .  .  . 

Enriched  with  a  line  little  boy,  who  was  born  at  the 
Hotel  des  Invalides  to  the  sound  of  cannon,  my  Vesins 
children  returned  to  the  South.  From  that  moment  the 
Marshal's  health  began  to  cause  me  great  anxiety  ;  and 

^  The  Abbe  de  Vesins  had  been  raised  to  the  See  of  Agen. — A.  T.  de  M. 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT 


439 


this  continued  during  the  whole  course  of  1845  and  1846. 
I  recalled  my  children  from  the  South.  They  arrived  in 
February  1847.  We  set  out  for  Jcand'hcurs,  where  we 
were  all  united.     But  no  more  ease  or  happiness  ! 

The  summer  was  spent  in  an  indescribable  agony  ;  a 
fixed  idea  drove  the  Marshal  towards  the  Invalides.  He 
did  not  wish  to  delay,  he  said,  in  returning  to  his  post.  It 
was  there  that  he  received  the  last  succours  of  religion.  .  .  . 

Here  my  narrative  must  cease.  God  has  given  nic  the 
strength  to  live  after  my  husband's  death,  but  He  has 
refused  me  the  will  to  describe  it. 


CHAPTER  XI 

Oudinot's  funeral— A  few  words  on  the  Duchesse  de  Reggie— Conclusion. 

Oudinot's  last  cares,  consecrated  to  the  army  to 
which  he  had  belonged  for  sixty  years,  were  devoted 
to  the  organizing  of  a  review ;  but  he  had  scarcely 
had  the  leisure  to  contemplate  under  arms  those 
brave  warriors,  who  had  followed  him  under  the  tri- 
color into  the  deepest  recesses  of  Europe,  and  whose 
hair  was  now  whitening  around  that  of  their  old 
leader. 

His  body,  carved  with  scars,  from  which  his 
country  had  been  able  to  draw,  as  from  a  generous 
reservoir,  an  extraordinary  sum  total  of  services,  was 
kept  up  wholly  by  a  soul  of  iron,  which  on  one 
battle  evening  had  depicted  itself  in  a  typical  phrase, 
a  real  appropriate  epigraph  for  this  soldier's  life. 
The  Emperor  congratulated  the  Marshal  upon  his 
courage,  and  added  : 

"  And  yet  there  always  comes  a  moment  when  the 
bravest  man  is  afraid  for  at  least  once  in  his  life." 

*'  Sire,"  replied  Oudinot,  "  I  have  never  had  time 

for  that." 

Years  slowly  accomplished  what  the  bullets  had 
440 


MEMOIRS  OF  MARSHAL  OUDINOT  441 

been  unable  to  do.  On  the  13th  of  September,  the 
veteran  breathed  his  last,  in  his  eighty-first  year, 
fortified  with  all  the  rites  of  religion. 

The  joy  was  refused  him  of  seeing  all  his  family 
united  by  his  bedside  to  embrace  him  :  he  had  given 
his  four  sons  to  France.  The  three  survivors  and 
his  grandson^  were  at  that  time  in  Algeria.  They 
came  home  for  the  funeral,  which  took  place  with 
great  state  on  the  5th  of  October  in  the  church  of 
Saint-Louis  des  Invalides,  beneath  the  shadow  of 
the  enemy's  flags  which  seemed  gathered  there  to 
do  honour  to  his  grrave. 

Thus,  in  this  year  1847,  three  of  the  Marshal's 
children  were  at  the  same  time  facing  the  enemy. 
One  can  judge  from  this,  and  still  better  from  the 
biographical  notes  published  below,-  of  the  energy 
displayed  time  after  time  until  our  own  day  by  the 
members  of  the  Oudinot  family,  which  has  sacrificed 
to  the  country  two  lives  cut  down  in  the  flower  of 
youth.  If  the  traditions  of  courage  and  devotion, 
which  are  com.mon,  for  that  matter,  among  the 
descendants  of  several  soldiers  of  the  Revolution 
and  the  Empire,  have  been  implanted  with  especial 

1  Charles  Oudinot,  afterwards  Due  de  Reggio.  lie  married  Mile,  de  Cas- 
telbajac,  daughter  of  General  Martiuis  de  Castclbajac  and  of  Mile,  dc  La 
Rochefoucauld,  and  became  the  father  of  the  present  head  of  the  family. 

2  Vide  Appendix  III. 

29 


442  MEMOIRS  OF 

Strength  in  the  breast  of  the  house  in  which  we  are 
interested,  it  is  not  only  the  memory  of  the  Marshal 
which  has  caused  them  to  take  such  deep  and  mani- 
fold root.  The  amiable  and  graceful  companion 
who  illumined  with  her  somewhat  grave  smile  the 
second  half  of  Oudinot's  life  has  much  to  do  with 
the  budding  of  these  determined  characters.  To 
men  who  number  among  their  near  ones  an  eager, 
decided  woman,  prompt  and  bold  in  resolution  as 
was  the  Duchesse  de  Reggio,  timidity  is  an  impos- 
sible thing.  She  offered  a  fine  example,  this  young 
bride  of  twenty,  who,  upon  the  receipt  of  alarming 
news,  left  the  kindness  of  her  family  and  the  com- 
fort of  her  home  to  fly  to  the  aid  of  her  wounded 
dear  one,  and  to  snatch  him  from  death  by  facing  an 
endless  journey  through  the  heart  of  a  country 
ravaged  by  war,  and  this  in  spite  of  the  fatigue,  in 
spite  of  the  cold,  in  spite  of  the  danger  of  falling  into 
the  hands  of  the  Cossacks  in  the  desolation  of  those 
vast  snowy  steppes.  Noble  conduct,  a  proof  at 
once  of  a  loving  and  virile  heart ! 

The  snowflakes  gathered  under  that  distant  sky 
had  left  as  it  were  a  halo  around  the  duchess's 
head.  Later  when,  at  the  commencement  of  the 
Restoration,  she  entered,  brilliant  and  adorned,  into 
some  drawing-room  or  other,  cannot  you  hear  the 


MARSHAL  OUDIKOT  443 

murmur  rising  behind  her  footsteps  and  the  words 
whispered  of  "  That  is  she  !  that  is  the  young 
married  woman  who  took  part  in  the  retreat  from 
Russia ! "  and  all  heads  bent  forward  to  see  her  ? 
She  thus  enjoyed  a  little  triumph  which  had  been 
bought  at  such  great  cost,  and  she  full)-  felt  the 
strange  delight  which  sometimes  makes  us  relish 
the  memory  of  our  cruellest  trials. 

This  lustre  apparently  contributed,  together  with 
the  duchess's  personal  charm,  the  distinction  of  her 
birth  and  the  renown  of  the  name  she  bore,  to 
attract  the  attention  of  the  new  powers  when 
these  strove  to  draw  towards  themselves  the  nota- 
bilities of  the  preceding  government.  Appointed 
to  a  lofty  post,  she  performed  its  delicate  functions 
with  tact.  Her  supple  mind  adroitly  unravelled  the 
complicated  threads  of  frequently  difficult  situations; 
she  moved  among  the  personages  at  Court  without 
hurting  any  susceptibilities ;  and  she  was  cleverly 
able  to  preserve  an  attitude  full  of  resi)ect  both 
for  the  independent  tendencies  of  her  husband  and 
for  the  absolute  ideas  of  the  Sovereigns  to  whom 
she  had  attached  herself  both  from  sentiment  and 
obligfation. 

Then,  when  political  events  and  a  long  witUnv- 
hood  gave  her  leisure,  she   studiously   occupied    it 


444  MEMOIRS  OF 

in  retracing  for  her  children  the  different  phases 
of  her  chequered  existence.  The  book  into  which 
this  grew,  almost  without  her  knowing  it,  is  written 
in  an  easy,  natural,  unpretentious  style.  It  bears 
witness  to  an  open  intelligence,  a  well-balanced 
judgment,  together  with  a  kind  heart  and  one  full 
of  pity  for  human  suffering.  In  spite  of  its  generally 
restrained  tone,  emotion  makes  its  way  through 
and  spreads  over  the  more  pathetic  passages,  such 
as  the  retreat  from  Moscow  and  the  death  of  the 
Due  de  Berry. 

Surprise  will  be  great  at  not  finding  these  Sou- 
venirs seasoned  with  the  satirical  remarks  against 
one's  neighbour  which  form  the  ordinary  relish  of 
this  class  of  work.  Was  it  that  the  eccentricities, 
the  absurdities  and  the  weaknesses  of  men  escaped 
the  penetration  of  the  Duchesse  de  Reggio ;  and  are 
we  to  believe  that  so  many  people  can  have  passed 
for  so  long  a  period  before  her  eyes  without  her 
raising  their  mask  and  discerning  the  hidden  sides 
of  their  nature  ?  Surely  no ;  but  at  the  risk  of 
having  it  believed  that  her  perspicacity  was  not 
always  aroused,  she  would  never  consent  to  reveal 
secrets  which  did  not  belong  to  her,  and  she  ex- 
pressed herself  concerning  others  with  great  reserve. 
Who  knows  whether  this  scrupulous  discretion  did 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT 


445 


not  constitute  her  principal  merit  at  Court  and  the 
secret  of  her  success  ?  Lovers  of  scandal,  close  tliis 
book  !      Its  charm  is  not  that  of  malice. 

This  happy  disposition  for  benevolence  was  re 
peated  in  the  salon  which  the  Duchesse  de  Regorio 
held  at  Bar-le-Duc  durin^^  the  latter  years  of  her 
life :  an  original  and  unique  salon,  to  which  our 
hostesses  have  not  shown  themselves  very  anxious 
to  provide  a  counterpart :  there  was  no  scandal 
talked  there !  The  visitors  were  none  the  less 
entertained.  The  attraction  came  from  the  gracious 
and  simple  lady  who  offered  to  all  a  cordial  welcome, 
without  distinction  of  political  parties ;  who  put 
every  one  at  his  ease ;  who  knew  so  nuich  aiul 
told  so  well,  without  spiteful ness  ;  who  had  pre- 
served the  elecrant  manners  of  the  eicrhtecnth  cen- 
tury ;  and  the  time  spent  in  whose  company  was 
a  lesson  in  urbanity. 

She  thus  led  a  peaceful  existence  in  the  religious 
practices  which  she  had  cherished  all  her  lile.  in 
the  midst  of  a  district  filled  with  ihc  glor\-  of  lh<; 
name  of  which  she  was  so  proud.  The  poor  wor- 
shipped her,  and  when,  in  the  month  of  May  iS68, 
she,  who  had  been  known  far  around  tor  her  tharily 
and  her  sympathy,  gently  breathed  her  last,  all 
mourned  "the  good  duchess." 


APPENDIX. 


APPENDIX 


I 

SERVICES 

of  M.  Oudinot,  Nicholas  Charles,  Due  dc  Rcggio,  born 
25  April  1767,  at  Bar-sur-Oniain,  Department  of  the 
Meuse,  son  of  Nicolas  Oudinot  and  Marie  Anne  Adam, 
married,  first,  15  September  1789,  to  Mdlle.  Charlotte 
Derlin,  ajid  secondly,  19  January  181 2,  to  Mdlle.  Marie 
Charlotte  Eugenie  Julienne  de  Coucy. 


Location  of  services  and  in  what 
capacity  employed. 


Medoc  Regiment  (infantry) 

3rd  Battalion  of  the  Meuse 
4th    Demi-Brigade    (formerly 

Regiment  de  Picardie) 
Nominated  by  the  Representa- 
tives attached  to  the  Armies 
of  the  Rhine  and  Moselle 
The     appointment     officially 

ratified 
Employed  with  the  Army  of 

the  Danube 
With  the  Army  of  Italy 
Inspector-General  of  Infantry 
Inspector-General  of  Cavalry 
In  command  of  1st  Division  at 

the  Camp  of  Bruges 
Commander-in-Chief    of    the 

Grenadiers  of  the  Reserve 
Entrusted  with  the  chief  com- 
mand at  Danzig 


Trivate 


2nd  Lieut. -Colonel 
Colonel,     wilh     field 

rank  of  Brigadier 
General  of  Brigade 


General  of  Division 


2    |une    17S4    to 

May  17^7' 
6  September  1 79 1 
5  November  1793 

14  June  1794 


13  June  1795 

12  April  1799 

8  December  1799 
24  luly  iSoi 
18  December  iSoi 
30  August  1803 

5  February  1S05 

December  1807 


726 


I 

716 

424 

I 

812 

1 

5   5 

2 

10 

1  A  break  occurs  here  of  four  years  and  four  months. 


45© 


MEMOIRS  OF 


Location  of  services  and  in  what 
capacity  employed. 


Rank. 


Commander-in-Chief  of  the 
and  Corps  of  the  Army  of 
Germany 

Commander-in-Chief  of  the 
Army  of  the  North  (Hol- 
land) 

Commander-in-Chief  of  the 
2nd  Corps  of  Observation 
on  the  Elbe 

Commander  -  in  -  Chief  of  the 
2nd  Corps  of  the  Grande 
Armee 

Commander-in-Chief  of  the 
1 2th  Corps  of  the  Grande 
Armee 

Commander-in-Chief  of  the 
7th  Corps  of  the  Grande 
Armee 

Commander-in-Chief  of  the 
Royal  Corps  of  the  Grena- 
dier and  Chasseurs  of 
France  (formerly  the  Im- 
perial Guard) 

Governor  of  the  3rd  Military 
Division 

Major-General  of  the  Royal 
Guard 

Commander-in-Chief  of  the 
National  Guard  of  the  De- 
partment of  the  Seine 

Reappointed  Governor  of  3rd 
Military  Division 

Inspector-General  of  the  Na- 
tional Guard  of  the  De- 
partment of  the  Seine 

Commander-in-Chief  of  the 
1st  Corps  of  the  Army  o( 
the  Pyrenees 

Out  of  employment  because  of 
disbandment  of  Royal  Guard 

Grand  Chancellor  of  the 
Legion  of  Honour 

Governor  of  the  Hotel  des 
Invalides 

Died  in  Paris 


General  of  Division. 
Marshal  of  the  Empire 


Date  of  Nomination, 


Marshal  of  France 


Length 
of  actual 
service. 


March  1809 


12  July  1809 
5  January  18 10 


9  Januaiy  1812 
March  1812 
31  May  1813 
8  February  1S14 

20  May  1814 

21  June  1S14 

8  September  181 5 
October  181 5 

10  Januar)'  1816 
23  December  1S16 

12  February  1823 

11  August  1830 
17  May  1839 

21  October  1842 

13  September  1847 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  451 

Extracts  from  variotis  despatches  of  the 
Grande  Arm<^e 

Campaign  of  Austerlitz. 

Combat  of  Wertingen.  yd  Despatch,  i8  Vendhniaire  Year  A7F(io  October 
1805). — The  Emperor  referring  to  the  Grenadiers  of  Oiidinot's  division  :  "  It  is 
impossible  to  see  a  finer  body  of  men,  more  anxious  to  measure  themselves 
with  the  enemy,  more  full  of  honour  and  of  that  military  ardour  which  proinisi-s 
the  greatest  results." 

ZTyVd  Despatch,  23  Briimaire  Year  XIV  {14  Noi'ember  1805). — The 
Emperor  also  expresses  his  satisfaction  with  the  Grenadiers  of  Oudinot,  who, 
during  the  fight  at  Austerlitz,  repulsed  from  strong  and  difficult  ground  the 
Russo- Austrian  troops,  with  a  loss  of  1500  prisoners,  including  600  Russians. 

Tpth  Bulletin,  Battle  of  Austerlitz,  2  December  1805. — The  Emperor  and 

his  entire  staflf  formed  the  reserve  with  the  ten  battalions  of  the  Guard  and 

General  Oudinot's  ten  Grenadier  battalions.     With  this  reserve  the  Emperor 

was  prepared  to  rush  wherever  there  was  need  ;  one  may  call  such  a  reserve 

worth  an  army. 

Cami'aigx  of  Friedland. 

24/A  Despatch,  21  February  1807. — At  Ostrolenka,  the  dauntless  General 
Oudinot  commanded  the  left  on  two  lines  ;  at  the  head  of  his  cavalry  he 
charged  successfully  home,  and  cut  to  bits  the  enemy's  rear-guard. 

30M  Despatch,  16  May  1807.— From  the  crumbling  ramparts  of  DanLzig  the 
enemy  had  watched  the  whole  afTair.  With  consternation  he  saw  all  hojv  of 
rescue  fade  away.     General  Oudinot  with  his  own  hand  slew  three  Russians. 

79//^  Despatch,  17  June  1807,  Battle  of  Friedland.— VucWtind  was  stormed 
and  its  streets  strewn  with  corpses.  The  centre  at  this  moment  joined  action  : 
the  attempt  on  the  extreme  right  of  the  French  army  having  failed,  the  enemy 
essayed  such  another  effort  towards  the  centre.  It  was  received,  as  might 
have  been  expected,  by  the  brave  divisions  of  Oudinot  and  Verdier. 

Campaign  of  Wac.ram. 
30M  Despatch,  30  July  1809,  Battle  of  I Fa^'ram.— The  village  of  W.ngmm 
was  taken  on  the  6th,  between  ten  and  eleven  in  the  forcntxjn,  and  the  glory 
belongs  entirely  to  Marshal  Ourlinot  and  his  Corps. 


452 


MEMOIRS  OF 


e^th  Despatch,  4  May  1809. — On  the  ist  May,  General  Oudinot  made 
1500  prisoners  during  the  action  at  Ried. 

loth  Despatch,  23  Afay  1809. — The  Emperor  has  given  the  command  of  the 
2nd  Corps  to  the  Comte  Oudinot,  a  general  tried  in  a  hundred  combats, 
wherein  he  shewed  that  his  daring  equalled  his  knowledge. 

Campaign  of  Russia. 
24     November     181 2,    the     Due     de     Reggie     encountered     Lambert's 
Division    at    four    leagues   from    Borisow,   attacked    it,    beat    it,    made    2000 
prisoners,   took   six    guns,    500   baggage-waggons    of  the    army  of  Volhynie, 
and  forced  the  enemy  back  upon  the  right  of  the  Beresina. 


DETAILS  OF  THE  CAMPAIGNS 


1792 
1793 

Year      II. 

„       III. 

IV. 

V. 

„        VI. 

„      VII. 

„    VIII. 

,,        IX. 

„      XII.  \^ 
Un 

,,    XIII.  j 

Year  XIV.  ^ 
1806 
1807 
1S08 
1809 
1810 
1812 
1S13 
1814 
1823 


'-Armies  of  the  Moselle,  the  Rhine,  England,  and  Italy. 


Camp  at  Bruges. 


J-  Grande  Armee. 

I 

) 

Germany. 

Army  of  the  North  (Holland). 

fGrande  Armee. 

Army  of  the  Pyrenees. 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT 


453 


WOUNDS  AND  DEEDS  OF   GALLAXTRV 

Received  a  shot  in  the  head  in  the  afTair  at  Hagenau,  Frimaire  Year  II. 

Had  a  leg  broken  at  Treves,  where  he  was  in  command,  Thermidor  Vear 
II  (August  1794). 

Wounded  by  five  sabre  strokes  in  a  night  attack  at  Neckerau,  Vcndeiniaire 
Year  III  (October  1795). 

Wounded  by  a  ball  in  the  thigh,  three  sabre  strokes  on  the  arms  and  one  on 
the  neck,  at  the  affair  of  Neuborg,  Fructidor  Year  IV  (1796). 

Wounded  by  a  ball  in  the  breast  at  the  affair  of  Wurenlos,  at  the  left  of  ihc 
intrenched  camp  at  Zurich,  16  Prairial  Year  VII  (1799). 

Wounded  liy  a  ball  in  the  shoulder-blade  at  the  affair  of  Schwit/,  27 
Thermidor  Year  VII  (14  August  1799). 

Sword  of  honour  and  cannon  given  by  Bonaparte,  First  Consul,  after  the 
Battle  of  Monzembemo,  in  December  1800  (the  cannon  had  been  taken  from 
the  Austrians  by  General  Oudinot). 

Had  a  ball  through  his  thigh  at  the  Battle  of  llollabriinn,  16  November 
1805. 

Wounded  by  a  ball  in  the  left  arm  at  the  Battle  of  Essling  in  1S09. 

Wounded  in  the  head  at  the  Battle  of  Wagram  in  1809. 

Wounded  by  grape-shot  during  the  fight  at  Polotsk,  17  August  i8l2. 

Wounded  by  a  ball  in  the  side  at  the  Beresina,  November  1S12. 

Wounded  by  a  ball  in  the  breast  at  the  combat  of  Arcissur-Aube,  21 
March  1814. 


TITLES  AND   DIGNITIES 

Member  of  the  Corps  Legislalif,  representing  the  Ueparimenl  of  the  Meuse, 

Frimaire,  Year  XII  (1804). 

Burgess  of  Ncuchatel,  1806. 

Count  of  the  Empire,  25  July  1808. 

Due  de  Reggio,  15  August  1809. 

Minister  of  State  and  Peer  of  France,  I  May  1S14. 


454  MEMOIRS  OF  MARSHAL  OUDINOT 

FRENCH  DECORATIONS 

Knight  of  the  Legion  of  Honour,  1 1  December  1803. 

Grand  Officer,  14  June  1804. 

Grand  Cross,  6  March  1805. 

Knight  of  St.  Louis,  i  June  1814. 

Commander,  24  September  1814. 

Grand  Cross,  3  May  18 16. 

Knight  of  the  Order  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  1820. 

FOREIGN  DECORATIONS 

Italy. — Knight  of  the  Order  of  the  Iron  Crown,  1805. 

Saxony. — Commander  of  the  Military  Order  of  St   Henry. 

Bavaria. — Grand  Cross  of  the  IMilitary  Order  of  Max-Joseph,  25  June  1813. 

Netherlands. — Grand  Cross  of  the  Military  Order  of  William,  May  1815. 

Prussia. — Grand  Cross  of  the  Orders  of  the  Red    Eagle  and  the  Black 

Eagle,  181 7. 
Russia. — Knight  of  the  First  Class,  Grand  Cross  of  the  Order  of  Saint 

Vladimir,  25  February  1824. 
Spain. — Grand  Cordon  of  the  Spanish  Order  of  Charles  III.,  27  May  1824. 


II 

LETTERS  OF  CONDOLENCE 

FROM   THE   PRESIDENT   OF   THE   COUNCIL  AND   FK(JM 
REIGNING   SOVEREIGNS 

Oudinot's  memory  was  honoured  not  only  hy 
France,  but  also  by  the  Sovereions  of  the  foreign 
nations  which  he  had  administered  or  combated. 
These  either  rendered  homage  to  an  unexpected 
benefactor,  or  bowed  respectfully,  as  in  the  days 
of  chivalry,  before  the  mortal  remains  of  a  loyal 
adversary.  The  family  of  the  deceased  received  a 
large  number  of  letters  of  condolence. 

LETTER  FROM  M.  GUIZOT, 
president  of  the  council  of  iministeks. 

Madame  la  marechale, 

I  must  express  to  you  my  regret  at  not  having^ 
been  able  to  be  present  this  morning  at  your  illustrious 
husband's  funeral. 

I  was  absolutely  obliged  to  go  to  Saint-Cloud  to  wait 
upon  the  King,  who  arrived  yesterday.  I  should  have 
taken  a  sad  pleasure  in  showing  honour  to  the  memory 
of  a  man  of  such  glorious  and  upright  character;  and  I 
should  be  happy  if  I  could  find  some  occasion  of  proving 


456  MEMOIRS  OF 

to  you,  madame  la  marechale,   the  respect  with  which  I 
have  the  honour  to  be 

Your  very  humble  and  obedient  servant, 

{Signed)        GUIZOT. 

Tuesday,  5  October  1847. 

The  followinof  letters   are  addressed  to  General 
Victor  Oudinot : 

LETTER  FROM  CHARLES  ALBERT 
KING  OF  SARDINIA 

Monsieur  le  marquis, 

You  did  justice  to  my  feelings  when  you  thought 
that  I  should  take  a  very  sympathetic  interest  in  the  sad 
loss  of  Marshal  the  Due  de  Reggio.  It  would  be  impos- 
sible for  me  to  bear  him  more  affection,  more  gratitude,  or 
to  admire  him  more  than  I  did.  I  join  our  profound 
regrets  to  yours,  monsieur  le  general,  and  I  heartily  wish 
that  circumstances  may  bring  you  to  Turin  and  enable  me 
to  assure  you  better  than  in  writing  of  all  my  friendship. 
{Signed)         CHARLES  ALBERT. 

Turin,  10  October  1847. 

LETTER  FROM  WILLIAM  KING   OF 
THE    NETHERLANDS 

Monsieur  le  marquis, 

I  have  received  the  letter,  dated  28  September  last, 
in  which  you  inform  me  of  the  death  of  your  noble  and 
honoured  father,  Marshal  Oudinot,  Due  de  Reggio. 

In  thanking  you  for  this  communication  I  am  pleased  to 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  457 

do  justice  to  the  military  talents  and  the  personal  valour  of 
the  deceased,  and  to  join  my  voice  to  the  chorus  which 
proclaims  his  noble  qualities.  I  hope  that  this  ai)preciation 
will  contribute  to  calm  the  regrets  which  this  death  occasions 
you,  and  that  it  will  give  you  the  assurance  of  the  dis- 
tinguished   sentiments    with    which    I    am,    monsieur    le 

marquis, 

Your  affectionate 

{Signed)         WILLIAM. 

The  Hague,  18  October  1847. 

LETTER  FROM  LOUIS  KING  OF  BAVARIA 

Monsieur  le  marquis,  Lieutenant-Gencral  Oudinot, 

I  have  received  the  letter  which  you  were  so  good  as 
to  write  to  me  on  the  28th  of  September  to  inform  mc  of 
the  decease  of  Marshal  the  Due  de  Reggio,  your  father. 
You  will  have  no  doubt,  monsieur  le  general,  of  the  feelings 
with  which  I  share  the  loss  which  you  have  just  experi- 
enced. This  loss  meets  with  no  less  sympathj-  in  the 
Bavarian  Army,  which  has  so  often  fougiit  under  the 
Marshal's  orders  ;  and  I  have  always  preserved  the  recol- 
lection of  the  feelings  of  personal  esteem  which  the  late 
King  my  father  had  devoted  to  him,  and  of  which  he  had 
given  him  proofs. 

I  was  therefore  touched  by  the  attention  of  your  letter, 
which  gives  me  at  the  same  time  the  opportunit}-  of  assur- 
ing you,  monsieur  le  marquis,  of  the  sentiments  of  esteem 

with  which  I  am 

Your  affectionate 

{Signed)         LOUIS. 

Munich,  18  October  1847. 
30 


458  MEMOIRS  OF 

LETTER  FROM  FREDERIC  WILLIAM  KING 
OF  PRUSSIA 

Monsieur  le  duc, 

I  have  always  borne  a  sincere  attachment  for  Marshal 
the  Duc  de  Reggio,  your  father ;  and  the  news  of  his 
death,  which  you  announced  to  me  in  your  letter  of  the 
28th  of  last  month,  afflicted  me  sadly.  The  interest  which 
I  took  in  all  that  concerns  him  does  not  cease  with  his 
death,  but  passes  to  his  family.  I  sympathize  deeply  with 
you,  monsieur,  in  the  loss  you  have  sustained.  Your  late 
father  succeeded  in  winning  the  general  esteem  in  this 
country  under  most  critical  circumstances,  and  in  a  time  of 
unexampled  irritation  against  the  Sovereign  whom  he  then 
served.  This,  in  my  opinion,  is  one  of  his  finest  titles  to 
glory,  and  one  which  does  most  honour  to  his  memory. 
The  Marshal's  conduct  at  Berlin,  as  you  know,  was  never 
forgotten  by  the  late  King  my  father,  and  I  have  inherited 
his  sentiments.  Preserving  these  memories  in  my  heart,  I 
beg  you  to  accept  my  sincere  regrets,  together  with  the 
renewed  assurance  of  my  perfect  esteem  and  of  my  good 
will.  With  which  I  pray  God,  monsieur  le  duc,  to  have 
you  in  His  holy  and  worthy  keeping. 
Your  affectionate 
{Signed)         FREDERIC  WILLIAM. 

Sans-Souci,  30  October  1847. 

LETTER  FROM  NICHOLAS  CZAR  OF  RUSSIA 
I  have  received,  General,  the  letter  which  you  addressed 
to  me  to  inform  me  of  the  death  of  the  venerable  Marshal 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  45,; 

Oudinot,  your  father.  The  loss  of  a  man  whose  name 
stood  out  among  the  first  in  an  epoch  so  fertile  in  great 
captains  must  needs  be  strongly  felt  by  all  those  who 
render  homage  to  talent  and  to  military  glory.  This  is  the 
impression  which,  on  this  account,  it  was  bound  to  produce 
on  me.  The  Marshal's  fine  actions  and  loyal  character  had 
earned  for  him,  at  the  time,  the  esteem  and  affection  of  my 
late  brother,  the  Emperor  Alexander;  and  I  know  that 
the  marks  of  honour  which  he  rccei\ed  from  him  had 
always  left  a  grateful  remembrance  in  his  heart.  This  is 
for  me  a  reason  the  more  to  regret  him  and  to  s)mpathi/.e 
with  the  affliction  which  his  death  causes  to  his  country 
and  his  family.  I  therefore  greatly  appreciate  your  atten- 
tion in  informing  me  of  this  event.  I  regard  it  as  a  proof 
that  you  consider  the  sentiments  which  your  father  bore  to 
my  brother  and  myself  to  form  part  of  your  inheritance. 
This  persuasion  causes  me  doubly  to  regret  not  having 
been  able  some  time  ago,  as  I  hoped,  to  make  your  personal 
acquaintance;  and  I  am  pleased  to  take  this  opportunity 
of  telling  you  so,  while  assuring  you  here  of  my  sincere 

esteem. 

{Signed)         NICHOLAS. 

St  Petersburg,  18  October  1847. 


Ill 

THE  SOLDIERS 

IN    THE   OUDINOT   FAMILY. 

The  military  tradition  inaugurated  by  Oudinot 
was  preserved  in  his  family ;  his  descendants  have 
formed  a  numerous  sequence  of  officers. 

The  reader  has  seen  above,  in  the  Souvenirs 
of  the  Duchesse  de  Reggio,  details  on  Victor  and 
Auguste  Oudinot,  the  Marshal's  two  sons  by  his 
first  wife. 

Victor  Oudinot  (1791  t  1863)  took  part  in  the 
campaigns  of  Wagram,  Spain,  Portugal,  Russia, 
Leipzig,  France,  Algeria  (1835) — it  was  in  this 
year  that  he  obtained  the  rank  of  lieutenant-general 
— and  finally  of  Italy  (1849),  where  he  commanded 
in  chief.  He  made  a  very  energetic  protest  against 
the  co2ip  d'Etat  of  the  2  Decembre. 

After  the  Roman  expedition.  General  Victor 
Oudinot  received  from  the  Comte  de  Chambord 
the  followinor  letter  : 

o 


MARSHAL  OUDJNOT  461 

LETTER  FROM  THE  COMTE  DE  CIIAMBORD 

To  THE  Due  DE  REGGIO. 

Cousin/ 

As  a  Frenchman,  as  the  eldest  son  of  the  Church,  I 
could  not  fail  to  show  my  appreciation  of  the  great  feat  of 
arms  which  you  have  just  accomplished.  Rome  restored 
to  its  legitimate  Sovereign,  the  City  of  the  Apostles  brought 
back  to  its  obedience  to  him  who  has  inherited  their  divine 
mission  :  these  are  illustrious  recollections  which  will  always 
remain  attached  to  French  arms.  I  experienced  a  keen 
feeling  of  joy  on  beholding  our  soldiers  add  this  fresh  glory 
to  so  many  other  glories  which  are  the  patrimony  of  us  all ; 
I  am  no  less  happy  to  think  that  it  is  you  who  have  fulfilled 
this  fair  and  lofty  mission,  that  it  is  to  you  that  the  honour 
belongs  and  the  gratitude  is  due.  Your  sword  has  shown 
itself  worthy  of  your  noble  father,  the  warrior  of  Zurich, 
Friedland  and  Wagram.  Although  the  gates  of  my  countr)' 
are  still  closed  to  me,  and  my  position  depri\es  me  of  the 
happiness  of  distributing  justly  acquired  national  rewards 
to  valour  and  to  services  rendered,  I  nevertheless  feel  the 
need  of  giving  you  here  the  proof  of  my  personal  satisfac- 
tion, which  I  know  that  you  value. 

I  renew,  cousin,  the  assurance  of  all   ni\'  esteem  and  of 
my  sincere  and  constant  affection. 

{Signal)         II]:.\RV. 

15  September  1849. 
1  All  French  dukes  are  addressed  by  the  King  as  cousin.— A.  T.  de  M. 


462  MEMOIRS  OF 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Auguste  Oudinot,  the 
Marshal's  second  son,  died  a  glorious  death  in 
Algeria,  at  the  battle  of  la  Macta  (1835). 

Two  daughters  of  the  Marshal's  first  marriage 
married,  one  General  Comte  Pajol,  the  other  General 
Comte  de  Lorencez,  who  both  served  during  the  wars 
of  the  Republic  and  the  Empire. 

Pajol  (1772  t  1 844),  one  of  the  most  brilliant  cavalry 
officers  of  his  time,  distinguished  himself  particularly 
at  Hohenlinden,  at  Eckmiihl,  in  Russia,  at  Leipzig, 
at  Montereau,  and  during  the  Waterloo  campaign. 
Lorencez  (i772ti827)  took  part  in  the  Battle  of 
Wagram  and  in  the  Peninsula,  and  was  so  grievously 
wounded  at  Bautzen  that  he  was  never  afterwards 
able  to  mount  his  horse. 

By  his  marriage  with  Eugenie  de  Coucy,  the  Mar- 
shal had  two  sons,  Colonel  Charles  Oudinot  (10 
March  i8i9t  10  December  1858),  who  has  already 
been  mentioned,  and  General  Henry  Oudinot  (3 
February  1822  f  28  July  1891),  who  took  a  brilliant 
part  in  the  principal  campaigns  of  our  time.  Both 
of  them  distinguished  themselves  in  1 849  under  the 
orders  of  their  elder  brother.  General  Oudinot,  Due 
de  Reggio,  commander-in-chief  of  the  expedition 
which  resulted  in  the  Restoration  of  the  Holy  See. 

The    military    spirit   perpetuated   itself    down   to 


MARSHAL  OUDINOT  463 

Marshal  Oudinot's  grandchildren.  Two  of  General 
Pajol's  sons  were,  the  first,  Charles  Pajol  (7  August 
i8i2t2  April  1891),  a  general  of  division;  the 
second,  Eugene  Pajol  (13  November  i8i7tiS 
April  1885),  a  general  of  brigade. 

General  de  Lorencez  left  a  son,  Charles  Ferdinand 
(23  May  1814 1  23  April  1892),  who  became  a 
general  of  division.  It  was  he  who,  in  1862,  ventured 
intrepidly  with  a  handful  of  men^  into  the  heart  of 
Mexico  and  directed  the  first  attack  against  Puebla. 

Lieutenant  Antoine  de  Levezou  de  Vesins,  grand- 
son of  Marshal  Oudinot  and  Euijenie  de  Coucv,  was 
killed  at  the  Battle  of  Gravelotte  on  the  i6th  t)f 
August  1870.  Although  seriously  wounded,  he 
refused  to  leave  the  battlefield,  and  wished  to 
spend  his  last  strength  in  fighting  for  his  country. 
A  second  wound  struck  him  mortalK-  ;  he  then  had 
himself  turned  so  as  to  expire  with  his  face  to  the 
enemy.     He  was  hardly  twenty-five  years  of  age. 


INDEX   OF   PERSONS 

OTHER    THAN    THE    DUC    AND    DUCHESSE    UE    REGGIO. 


"N 


INDEX    OF    PERSONS 

other  than  the  Due  and  Duchesse  de  Rt'ggio. 


Abd-el-Kadbr  (1807-18S3),  433. 
Abramowietz,  Count,  166,  167. 
Abramowietz,  Countess,  166,  190.' 
Adam,  i. 
Adelaide,  Madame,  d'Orleans  (1777- 

1847);  279,  333. 
d'Albufera,  Duchesse,  282,  339. 
Alexander  I.,  Czar  of  All  the  Russias 

(1 777-1825),    74,    75,    78,    80,    88, 

271,313,458.  « 

d'Allegrin,  Comte,  56. 
Ambert,  General,  12. 
d'Angouleme,     Louis    Antoine     Due 

(1775-1844),    276,    305,    344,    357, 

363.  370,  377.  382,  385,  408,  419. 

423- 
d'Angouleme,  Marie  Therese  Duchesse 

(1778-1852),    274,    275,    318,    343, 

357,  370,  379,  40S. 
Apponyi,  Count,  380. 
Apponyi,  Countess,  381. 
d'Argout,  Comtcssc,  285. 
Audenarde,  General,  398. 
Auersberg,  Count,  36. 
Augereau,   Marechale  {sec  Castiglione, 

Duchesse  de). 
Augereau,    Marshal    Pierre    Fran9ois 

Charles,  Due  de  Castiglione  (1757- 

1816),  145. 
d'Avaray,    Antoine    Louis     P^ranjois 

Duc(i759-i8ii),  376. 


B 


Bagration,    General    Prince    Peter 

(1765-1812),  37,  135. 
Barclay   de   Tolly,    General    Michael 

(1755181S),  135. 
Barrot,    Caniillc    Hyacinthe    Odilon 

{1791-1873),  422. 


Bassano,  Ilugues  Bernard  Comte 
Maret,  Due  dc  (1763- 1839),  159, 
160,  161,  163,  164,  165,  166,  167, 
172,  179,  185. 

Bassano,  Duchesse  de,  216,  217. 

Bastard,  Comte  de,  327. 

Baudecour,  194. 

Beaufort,  Mme.  de,  2S5. 

Bcauharnais,  Prince  Eugene  de,  Duke 
of  Leuchtenberg,  Prince  of  Eich- 
stiidt  (1781-1824),  129. 

Berry,  Charles  Ferdinand  Due  dc 
(1778-1820),  273,  2S0,  282,  2S6, 
288,  294,  299,  305,  319.  320,  328, 
330.  332,  336,  337,  11'^,  339,  340, 
341,  347,  35'- 

Berry,  Caroline  Duchesse  dc  (1798- 
1870),  320.  322,  324,  326,  329,  332, 
334,  335,  337,  339,  34«,  347.  352. 
354,  358,  360,  361,  365,  3'^S,  370, 
372,  373.  375,  379,  3^.  3^4.  386. 
392,  393,  395,  39<',  397,  398,  399, 
404,  405,  406,  407,  40S,  409,  415, 
421,  424,  425.  427,  428,  430.  43". 
432. 

Bclliard,  General  Augustc  Daniel 
Comte  (1769-1S32),  340. 

Berthier,  Marechale  {see  Neuchdtcl, 
Princesse  de). 

Berthier,  Marshal  Alexandre,  Prince 
de  Wagram,  Prince  of  Ncuchatcl 
(1753-1815),  40,  90,  123,  137.  171. 

Bertrand,  (icncral  Henry  (ir.iticn 
Comte  (1773-1844),  227,  229,  230, 

233,  30<'>- 
Bethisy,  Marquise  de,  321,  347,  395. 
Blacas  d'Aulps,  Pierre  lx>uis  Cobimir 

Due  de  (1770-1S39),  404. 
Blanchcton,  Dr,  349. 
Bltlchcr,      Field  •  Marshal      C.cbhanl 

Lcbrechi,         Prince         Wahl!>l;ult 

(17421819),  23s,  313. 
Bodson,  Colonel,  203. 

467 


468 


INDEX 


Bonaparte,    (Prince    Louis    Napoleon 

(1808-1873),  435. 
Bordeaux,    Henri  Charles   Dieudonne 

Due  de  (1820- 1883),  355,  358,  409, 

419,423,424,436,460. 
Borghese,    Marie    Pauline    Princesse, 

Duchesse  de  Guastalla  (1780-1825), 

65. 

Bortsell,  General,  231. 

Boudet,   General  Jean  Comte  (1769- 

1809),  27. 
Boufflers,  Stanilas  Chevalier  de  (1737- 

1815),  224. 
Bougon,  Dr,  349. 
Bouille,  Comtesse   Fran9ois  de,  321, 

322,  325,  399,  425. 
Bourcet,  Comte  de,  74,  186,  202,  211, 

246,  249,  309,  417,  418,  420. 
Bourbon,     Louis    Joseph     Due     de, 

Prince  de  Conde  (1756-1830),  279. 
Bourbon,    Louise    Theresa    Duchesse 

de  {1750-1822),  279. 
Bourgeois,  Mme.,  359. 
Bourmont,  General  Victor  Comte  de 

Ghaisnesde  (1773-1846),  407. 
Brandon  du  Thil,  91. 
Brandon  du  Thil,  Mme.,  91. 
Brune,     Marshal     Guillaume     Marie 

Anne  (1763-1815),  26. 
Bruno,  Dom,  399,  400. 
Buffaut,  Miles.,  222. 
Bukaufen,  General,  34. 


Cambier,  95. 
Campana,  General,  44. 
Canouville,  Comte  de,  217. 
Capiomont,  Dr,   181,    186,    190,    191, 

211. 
Carlota,  Infanta,  395,  396,  397,  398. 
Caroline  (Murat),  Queen  of  Naples,  91. 
Cars,    Amedee    Fran9ois   de    Perisse, 

Due  de  (1760-1838),  317,  318. 
Castelbajac,  General  Marie  Barthelemy 

Marquis  de,  289,  441. 
Castelbajac,     Marquise    de,     n^e     La 

Rochefoucauld,  441. 
Castiglione,  Duchesse  de,  146,  216. 
Caunan,   Chevalier,    Baron   de,    365, 

391,  416. 
Caunan,  Baronne  de,  nt'e  Oudinot,  95, 

339,  365- 
Chambord,  Comte  de  {see  Bordeaux, 

Due  de). 
Champagny,  Comte  de,  407. 


Champion,  Dr,  99,  373. 

Charettc,  Mme.,  425. 

Charles,  Archduke,  of  Austria,  81,8^, 
85. 

Charles  X.,  King  of  France  and 
Navarre  (1757-1836),  267,  268,  269, 
271,  305,  334,  356,  367,  370,  371, 
375,  376,  377,  382,  385,  386,  390, 

393.  394,  409,  410,  411,  413,  419, 
423,  427,  436. 

Charles  XIV.   (Bernadotte),  King  of 

Sweden  (1764-1844),  228,  229,  231, 

232. 
Charles     Albert     King    of    Sardinia 

(1789-1849),  456. 
Chartres,  Ferdinand  (Due  d'Orleans), 

Due  de  (1810-1842),  404. 
Chasseloup-Laubat,  General  Fran9ois, 

Marquis  de  (i754-i833),  203. 
Chazet,  Alissan  de,  372. 
Chevallot,  Colonel,  ill. 
Choiseul,  Comte  Cesar  de,  347. 
Choiseul,    Claude     Antoine     Gabriel 

Due  de  (1760-1838),  317,  318. 
Christina,  Queen  of  Spain  (1806- 1878), 

394,  405- 
Clermont-Lodeve,  Comte  de,  347. 
Cochelet,  Mile.,  257. 

Coigny,  Marshal  Marie  Francois 
Henri    Due    de   (1737-1821),    343, 

357; 

Conde,     Louis     Joseph     Prince     de 

(1736-1818),  21,  276,  332. 
Constantine  Paulovitch,  Grand-Duke, 

of  Russia  (1779-1831),  76,  77,  79, 

80. 
Conyngham,  Messrs.  de,  53. 
Corbieres,  Jacques  Joseph  Guillaume 

Pierre  Comte  de  (1767-1853),  378, 

389- 
Corbineau,     General     Jean     Baptiste 

Juvenal  Comte  (1776-1848),  170. 
Cosse-Brissac,    Comte   de,   334,   376, 

414,  425. 
Coucy,  Senior,  52,  56. 
Coucy,  56,  61,  98,  140,  146,  160,  163, 

172,  186,  210,  243,  289. 
Coucy,  Abbe  de,  58,  60. 
Coucy,  Canoness  de,  52,  61,  97,  106. 
Coucy,  Captain  de,  52,  53,  54,  57. 
Coucy,  Enguerrand  de,  61,  131,  214, 

222. 
Coucy,  Gustave  de,  57,  99,  365. 
Coucy,  Mme.  de,  52. 
Coucy,  Mme.  de,  «/e  d'AUegrin,  56, 

61,  62,  109,  141,  285,  362. 


INDEX 


469 


Coucy,   Madame  de,    ?!i'e   La  Bigne, 

365,  393- 
Coucy,  Madame  de,  tit'e  Mer9uay,  53, 

54,  61,  97,  103,  131,  140,  240^  267, 

285,  311,  362. 
Coucy,  Mile,  de,  57,  60. 
Coucy,  Maximilien  de,  54. 
Coucy,  Miles,  de,  52. 
Courchamp,  Comic  de,  434. 
Curial,   General   Philihert  Jean   Bap- 

tiste  Francois  Joseph  Comle  (1774- 

1829),  376. 


D 


Dabray,  Comte,  275. 

Damas,  Due  de,  376,  381. 

Damas,  Uuchesse  de,  375. 

Davout,    Marechale   {see  d'Eckmiihl, 

Princesse). 
Davout,     Marshal     Louis     Nicholas, 

Prince    d'Eckmiihl,     Due     d'Auer- 

stadt  (1770-1823),    28,    50,  81,  85, 

86,  122,  127,  300,  304. 
Decazes,  Duchesse  de,  322. 
Delamarre,  Achille,  193,  201,  202. 
Delmas,   General  Antoine  Guillaume 

(1768-1813),  15. 
Deneux,  Dr,  354,  358. 
Desgenette,  Dr,  177. 
Dessaix,  General  Joseph  Marie  (1764- 

1825),  64. 
Dombrowsky,    General    Henry   John 

(1755-1818),  170. 
Dreux-Breze,   Henri   Evrard  Marquis 

de,  321. 
Drott,  Baron,  120. 
Dubois,  Dr,  215. 
Dupas,  General,  34,  48. 
Dupuytren,   Guillaume   Baron    (1777- 

i^35)>  34i>  349.  39i- 
Duras,  Due  de,  369. 
Duras,  Duchesse  de,  322. 
Duruth,  General,  300. 
Duverger,  General,  122. 


iuLE,  General  Jean   r5a]iliste  Comte 

(1758-1812),  171. 
d'Eckmiihl,  Princesse,  65,  123. 
d'Enghien,   Louis    Henri  Antoine  de 

Bourbon,  Due  (1772-1804),  63. 
d'Essling,  Princesse,  265. 


d'Estaings,   General    Charles    Hector 

Comte  (1720-1794),  64. 
Eugene,  Prince,  of  Wurtemberg,  234. 


Farine,  General,  206, 

Feltre,    Henri    Jaci|ues      Guillaume 

Clarke,      Comle     de     Hunelxjurg, 

Due  de  (1765-1818),    145. 
Ferdinand,     Archduke,     of    Austria 

(1754-1806),  33,  86. 
Ferdinand     H.,    King    of    the    Two 

Sicilies  (iS  10- 1859),  433. 
Ferdinand  V'H.,  King  uf  Spain  (17S4- 

1833).  ^('i,  406. 
Feutrier,   Fran<,()is    Jean    Hyacinthc, 

Bishop    of    Beauvais    (1785  1830), 

.365- 
Fitz-James,   Edouard    Due  de  (1776- 

1838),  315,  319.  337.  3S4. 
Flahaut,  Colonel  de,  SS. 
Flamarens,  Comte  de,  1 21. 
Fouche,  Joseph,  Due  d'Otrante  (1754- 

1820),  264. 
Fournier  d'Alhe,  General,  146. 
Francis  L,  Emperor  of  Austria  (1768- 

1835),  25,  254. 
Francis  L,  King  of  the  Two  Sicilies 

(1751-1825),    330.    394,    395,   405. 

406,  407,  408,  409,  410. 
Francis  de  Paula,  Infant,  395,  396. 
Frederic    L,     King    of    Wurtemberg 

(1 754- 18 16),  76,  80. 
Frederic     William     HL,    King      of 

Prussia  (1770-1S40).  124.  209. 
Frederic    William      IV'.,     King      of 

Prussia  (1795-1S61),  458. 


G 


Go.VTAUT,    Duchesse   de,    336,    338, 

340,  343.  359- 
GontaulBiron,    Vicomtesse  de,   321, 

322,  325- 
Gourgues,  Comlessc  <le,  321. 
Gouvion-Saint-Cyr,   Mar>h.il   Laurent 

(1764-1830),    1 38,    139.    160,    11.3, 

169,  1 85. 
Gouy,  m,  115,  131,   144.  211,283, 

291,  292,  392. 
Gouy,  Mme  ,  292,  294. 
(IrclTulhe,  Comlcsse,  337. 
Gueriviirre,   Vicomlc  dc,  64,  98,  lOO, 

101,  i.'^i,  2'>3,  393- 


470 


INDEX 


Gueriviere,  Vicomtesse  de,  ne'e  Coney, 
64,  69,  88,  96,  100,  IC7,  III,  131, 
222,  263. 

Guizot,     Fran9ois    Pierre    Guillaume 

(1787-1874),  455- 
Guyot,       General      Claude      Etienne 
Cointe(i768-i837),  397. 


H 


Hainguerlot,  James   Tom    Baron, 

393' 
Hainguerlot,    Baronne,   iit'e   Oudinot, 

95,  131,  225,  278. 
d'Hautefort,  Comtesse,  321. 
d'Havre-de-Croy,    Auguste     Philippe 

Louis  Emmanuel  Due  (1765-1822), 

325,  326,  327. 
Hebert,  Jacques  Rene  (1755-1794),  2. 
Henry     V.,     King     of     France    and 

Navarre  (see  Bordeaux,  Due  de). 
Hoche,   General  Lazare  (1768- 1797), 

28. 
Plogendorp,  General  Dirk  Co  int  van 

(1761-1830),  149,  152. 
Hohenlohe,  Princess,  149,  151- 
Hortense  (Bonaparte),  Queen  of  Hol- 
land (1783-1837).  221,  25:,  435. 
Hotze,  General,  20. 


Isabella  Queen  of  the  Two  Sicilies 
(17S9-1848),  405,  407,  410. 


Jacqueminot,  Jean  Ignace,  Comte 
de  Ham  (1758-1813),  143. 

Jacqueminot,  General  Jean  Fran9ois 
Vicomte,  113,  153,  186,  202,  208, 
210,  236,  272,  287,  306,  422. 

Jean-Marie,  Brother,  399,  403. 

Jerome  (Bonaparte),  King  of  West- 
phalia (1784-1S60),  121. 

Joseph  (Bonaparte),  King  of  Spain 
(1768-1844),  220,  255,  256,  257. 

Josephine,  Empress  of  the  French 
(1763-1814),  68,  220,  270. 

Juigne,  Comtesse  Victor  de,  258. 

Julia  (Bonaparte),  Queen  of  Spain, 
220. 

Jourdan,  Marshal  Jean  Baptiste 
Comte  de  (1762  1833),  17. 


K 


Kellermann,  Marshal  Francois 
Christopher,  Due  de  Valmy  (1735- 
1820),  211. 

Kergorlay,  Gabriel  Louis  Marie 
Comte  de  (1766-1830),  263,  265. 

Korsakoff,  20. 


La  Bedoyere,  General  Charles 
Angelique  Fran9ois  Huchet,  Comte 
de  (1786-1815),  312. 

La  Croix,  General  Francois  Joseph 
Pamphile,  Vicomte  de  (1774-1842), 

340- 
La  Fayette,  General  Gilbert  Motier, 

Marquis  de(i757-i834),  394. 
La  Ferronnays,  Pierre  Louis  Auguste 

Ferron,  Comte  de  (1777-1842),  319, 

392. 
La   Ferronnays,    Comtesse    de,    320, 

322,  324,  327,  330. 
Lambertye,  Comtesse  de,  323. 
Landry-Gillon,  Mme. ,  113. 
Lannes,    Marechale  (see   Montebello, 

Duchesse  de). 
Lannes,  Marshal  Jean,  Due  de  Monte- 
bello (1769-1809),  33,  35,  36,  46, 

47,  ^Z,  84. 
La  Kiboisiere,  General  Jean  Ambroise 

Baston,  Comte  de  (1759-1812),  126. 
Latil,   Cardinal  Jean   Baptiste   Marie 

Anne  Antoine  Due  de.  Archbishop 

of  Rheims  (1761-1839),  342. 
Latour,  General,  15. 
Lauristan,  Comtesse  de,  321. 
La  Valette,   Marie  Chamans,   Comte 

de  (1769-1830),  316. 
Leclerc,  Louis  Comte,  65,  223. 
Leclerc,    General   Victor    Emmanuel 

(1772-1802),  65. 
Lefebvre,    Marshal    Francois   Joseph, 

Due  de  Dantzig  (1755-1820),  44. 
Legrand,  General,  136. 
Leon,  Prince  de,  286. 
Le  Tellier,   113,   123,   172,   177,   180, 

187,  191,  195. 
Levis,    Pierre    Marc    Gaston    Due  de 

(1755-1830),  321,  322,  325,.  338. 
Loison,  General  Louis  Henri  (^omte 

(1771-1816),  148,  189,  190,  302. 
Lorencez,  Comtesse  de,  nee  Oudinot, 

94,  99,  III,  114,  116,  122,  128,  129, 

130,  142,  222,  226,  236,  462. 


INDEX 


47' 


Lorencez,  General  Comte  de  (1772- 
1827),  95,  III,  114,  116,  130,  142, 
160,  179,  186,  194,  207,  212,  222, 
225,  236,  273,  308,  462. 

Lorencez,  General  Charles  Ferdinand 
(1814-1892),  463. 

Lorencez,  Mile.  Victorine  de,  212, 
222. 

Louis,  Baron  (1755-1837),  121. 

Louis,  Archduke,  of  Austria,  81. 

Louis  (Bonaparte),  King  of  Holland 
(1778-1846),  92,  95. 

Louis  L ,  King  of  Bavaria  ( 1 786- 1 868), 

457- 
Louis  XVIIL,   King  of  France  and 
Navarre  (1755-1824),  262,  267,  273, 
274,  275,  28t,  299,  305,  310,  313, 
314,  316,  31S,  320,  32S,  329,  330, 

335.  344,  345>  357,  361,  365,  366, 

368,  369,  378. 
Louis    XIX.,    King    of    France   and 

Navarre  (see  Angoulcme,  Due  de). 
Louis-Philippe,  King  of  the    French 

(1773-1850),   279,    404,    410,    411, 

415,  419,  423,  436,  455. 
Louisa    Amelia     Queen     of    Prussia 

(1776-1810),  126. 
Louise    Duchess     of    Parma    (1819- 

1S64),  336,  343. 
Louise  Queen  of  the  Belgians  (1812- 

1850),  404. 
Louvel,     Louis     Pierre    (17S3-1820), 

338,  347>  350,  354- 
Louvrigny,  Mile,  de,  58,  63. 
Lucchesi-Palli,  Hector  Count  di,  432. 

M 

MACDONAi.n,  Marshal  Etienne 
Jacques  Joseph  Alexandre,  Due  de 
Tarente  (1765-1S40),  86,  133,227, 
249,  316. 

Mack,  General  Charles  Baron  (1756- 
1828),  32,  33. 

Madame  Mere  (i  750-1836),  220. 

Magnac,  Colonel,  45. 

Maille,  Due  de,  356,  357. 

Mailly  d'Haucourt,  Marshal  Jean 
Auguste  Comle  de  (1708- 1794),  4. 

Maison,  Marshal  Nicolas  Joseph  Mar- 
quis ( 1 771-1840),  207,  422. 

Mallet,  165,  166. 

Marescot,  Conilesse  de,  68. 

Marie  Amelie  Queen  of  the  French 
(1782-1S66),  279,  333,  341,  404, 
410,  428,  429. 


Marie  Louise  Empress  of  the  French 

(1791-1847),  90,  96,  104,  125,  218, 

219,     223,     240,    249,    253,    254, 

255- 
Marmont,  ^[arshal  Auguste  Frederic 

Louis  Viesse  de.    Due   de    Kagusc 

(1774-1852),    227,   316,    409,   413, 

418. 
Martignac,  Jean  Baptistc  Silvirre  Gaye, 

Vicomte  de  (1776-1832),  392,  426. 
Massena,    Marcchale   (sec    d  Lssling 

Princesse). 
Massena,     Marshal     Andre,     Prince 

d'Essling,    Due   de    Kivoli   (i758. 

1817),   17,   18,  22,  23,  26,  81,  83, 

Maussion,  Comte  .\dolphe  de,   159. 
Maximilian  I.,  King  of  Bavaria  (1756- 

1825),  81. 
Mer^uay,  53. 
Mer9uay,  -NIme.  dc,  53. 
Mesnard,     Louis     Charles     nnplisle 

Comte    de  (1769-1S42),    321,    322, 

347,  425.  430- 
Metz,  Mme.  du,  244. 
Miloradovilch,  General  Count  Michael 

(1770-1S25),  228. 
Molitor,      .Marshal      Gabriel     Comte 

(1770-1849),  423. 
Mollendorfi,     Field-Marshal     Henry 

Count  (1724-1S16),  12. 
Montangon,  Mme.  dc,  244. 
Montansier,  Marguerite  Brunet,  Mile. 

(1730- 1820),  26S. 
Montebello,  Duchesse  dc,  91. 
Monlelegicr,  General  ( iaspard  Gabriel 

Adolphe  Bernon,  N'icMiiUL-  dc    1780- 

1825),  286. 
Montendre,  Mile,  dc,     . 
Montesquiou,  .\l)bc  !•  i,u.','i-.  Xavicr 

Ducde(i757iS32),  279. 
Montholon,    Charles    Tristan    Comte 

de  (17S2-1S53),  166. 
Montmort,  .MaKpiis  de,  416. 
Moreau,  Dr,  238. 
Moreau,  General  Jean  Victor  (1763- 

1S13),  13,  14,  15. 
M..rcl,  361,  421,  424,  425. 
.Morel,    Mme.,    I09,    152,    iSo,    1S6, 

36.. 
Mornay,  Comte  Charles  <lc,  380. 
Mortemarl  de  KtKhechouart,  Due  dc 

(1787-1875).  318.  415. 
Morlier,    Marshal    Ivlouard    Adolphe 

Casimir     Joseph,    Due    dc   Ticviac 

(1768-1835),  48,  50,  254. 


472 


INDEX 


Murat,  Marshal  Joachim  Prince,  King 
of  Naples  (1771-1815),  32,  33,  35, 
164. 


N 


Nansouty,  General  Etienne  Antoine 
Marie  Champion,  Comte  de  (1768- 
1815),  48. 

Napoleon  I.,  Emperor  of  the  French 
(1769-1821),  3,  24,  27,  39,  40,  42, 
43,  44,  48,  61,  63,  67,  74,  75,  77, 
80,  83,  87,  90,  92,  96,  104,  107, 
125,  127,  130,  133,  136,  149,  161, 
170,  174,  176,  213,  214,  217,  219, 
223,  226,  230,  232,  240,  242,  248, 
251,  263,  292,  302,  306,  308,  309, 
310,  360,  440,451,453. 

Napoleon  III.,  Emperor  of  the  French 
{see  Bonaparte,  Prince  Louis  Napo- 
leon). 

Narbonne,  Comte  Louis  de  (i775' 
1813),  125,  [34,  161,  209. 

Neuchatel,  Princesse  de,  260,  277. 

Ney,  Marshal  Michel,  Uuc  d'Elchin- 
gen.  Prince  de  la  Moskovva  (1769- 
1815),  126,  195,  233,  294,  297,  316. 

Nicholas  L,  Czar  of  All  the  Kussias 
(1769-1855),  458. 

Nichols,  425. 

Noailles,  Mme.  de,  425. 


O 


Oguinska,  Mme.,  155. 

Orisi,  106. 

d'Orleans,  Louise  Duchesse  (1769- 
1821),  287,  333. 

d'Osmond,  Mgr.,  Bishop  of  Nancy, 
285. 

Ott,  Field-Marshal  Peter  Charles 
Baron,  25. 

Oudinot,  Colonel  Comte  Auguste 
(1800-1835),  95,  lio,  115,225,288, 
306,  307,  310,  433,  460,  462. 

Oudinot,  Colonel  Comte  Charles 
(1819-1858),  68,  335.437- 

Oudinot,  General  Comte  Henry  (1822- 
1891),  115,  362. 

Oudinot,  General  Victor  Marquis,  Due 
de  Keggio  (1791-1863),  19,  68,  78, 
94,111,  112,  134,  171,  176,  179, 
180,  186,  187,  194,  209,  210,  240, 
250,  272,  277,  292,  299,  307,  309, 
423,  429,  430,  435,  460,  462. 


Oudinot,  Mme.,  ride  Adam,  449. 
Oudinot,   Marechale,  ne'e  Derlin   (see 

Reggio,  Duchesse  de). 
Oudinot  Marquise,  nde  Minguet,  353, 

430,  435- 
Oudinot,  Nicolas,  I,  112,  449. 
Oudot,  Mme.,  70. 


Pactold,  General,  272. 

Padua,  General  Jean  Toussaint  Arrighi, 

Duke  of,  364. 
Pahlen,  General  Count  Peter,  170. 
Pajol,    Comtesse,    nde    Oudinot,     69, 

94,   98,    127,    129,    130,    139,   420, 

427,  462. 
Pajol,    General  Charles  (1812-1891), 

463- 
Pajol,   General   Eugene   (1817-1885), 

463- 
Pajol,  General    Pierre  Comte   (1772- 

1844),  69,  94,  99,    loi,    127,   128, 

130,  179,  185,  186,  194,  206,  250, 

272,  308,  419,  421,  462. 
Perier,  Casimir  (1777- 1832),  340. 
Perron,  Joseph,  438. 
Perron,  Mme.,  iic'e  Oudinot,  334,  435, 

438. 
Pichegru,  General  Henri  (1761-1804) 

14.  57- 
Pils,  28,  lOl,  158,  176,  179,  187,  195, 

198. 
Pius    VI.,    Supreme    Pontiff    (1717- 

1799),  64. 
Polignac,  Prince  Jules  de  (1780-1847), 

394,  426. 
Poniatowsky,   Joseph    Prince    (1763- 

1813),  234. 
Poriquet,  Mme.,  104,  109,  112,  139. 
Possesse,  General  de,  108. 
Potier,  Charles  (1775-1838),  337. 

R 

Radziwii.l,  Prince  Anthony  Henry 

('775-1833),  209. 
Rapp,  General  Jean  (1772-1821),  206, 

208,  360. 
Reggio,    Charles    Oudinot,    Due    de 

(1851-1891),  441. 
Reggio,  Henri  Charles  Victor  Roger 

Oudinot,  Due  de,  441. 
Reggio,  Duchesse  de,  «<?£Castelbajac, 

441. 


INDEX 


473 


Reggio,  Duchesse  de,  tide  Berlin,  6, 

67>  69,  71,  88,  94,  449. 
Regnaud     de     Saint-Jean    d'Angely, 

Michel  Louis  EtienneComte(i76o- 

1819),  221. 
Reichsladt,    Fran9ois  Charles  Joseph 

Napoleon,  Due  de,  King  of  Rome 

(181 1-1832),  241,  254,  309. 
Reynier,  General  Jean  Louis  Ebnezer 

(1771-1814),  229,  230,  233. 
Robespierre,    Auguste    Bon    Joseph 

(1764-1794),  55. 
Rochefort,  Marquis  de,  325. 
Roguet,     General    Francois    Comte, 

295- 
Rome,  King  of  [see  Reichstadt,  Due 

de). 
Rosalie,  55,  57,  99,  141. 
Roure,  ^Iarquise  du,  268,  269,  310. 
Roux,  Dr,  215. 
Ruffin,  General,  34,  43. 
Rumily,  Comte  de,  412. 


Sabran,  Marquise  de,  224. 
Sabran,  Comte  Elzear  de,  224. 
Saillant,  Comte  de,  121. 
Saint-Aubin,  Baron  de,  356. 
Saint-Chamans,  Comte  de,  323. 
Saint- Cricq,  Comte  de,  340. 
Sainte-Aulaire,  Louis  Beaupoil,  Comte 

de  (1778-1854),  223,  253,  255,  262. 
Sainte-Aulaire,  Comtesse  de,  223,  253, 

255,  258,  269,  339. 
Saint-Marsan,   Comte   de,    125,    144, 

148,  153- 
Sambucy,  Comte  de,  387. 
San  Martino,  Duchess  of,  406. 
San  Valantino,  Duchess  of,  406. 
Sassenay,  Marquis  de,  321,  362,  425. 
Schwarzenbcrg,  Cb..;les  Philip  Prince 

(1771-1819),  249. 
Scilla,  Prince,  326,  395,  406. 
Seljastiani  de  la  Porta,  ^IarshaI  Horace 

Comte  (1775-1851),  126. 
Jjc^monville,    Charles    Louis    Iluguet, 

Marquis  de  (1754-1839),  Z^. 
Sesmaisons,  Comte  de,  121. 
Solikoff,  204. 
Soult,  Marshal  Nicolas  Jean  de  Dieu, 

Due  de  Dahiialie  (1769- 1852),  50, 

291,  429,  431,  432. 
Souwaroflf,      General      Peter      Alexis 

Vasilicvitch  Count  (1730-1800),  20. 
31 


Stael-Holstein,    Raronne    de    {1766- 

1817),  225,  270. 
Suchet,     Marechale    (see    d'Albufcra, 

Duchesse). 
Suchet,    Marshal   Louis  Gabriel    Due 

d'Albufcra     (1772-1S26),     24,     44, 

357. 


TALLEYRAND-PiSRiGORn,      Cardinal 

Alexandre  Angclique  de,  Archbishop 

of  Paris  (1736-1822),  318. 
Talleyrand- Pcrigord,  Charles  Maurice 

de,     Prince    de     Bencvent    (1754- 

1838).  305. 
Tauentzien,  General,  231, 
Tchaplitz,  General,  171. 
Tchitchakoff,  Admiral  i'aul  Vasilievilch 

(1767-1849),  175. 
Thermes,  113,  157,  209. 
Thiers,    Louis   Adolphe    (1797-1877), 

171. 
Trezcl,    General     Camille    Alphonse 

(i7So-i86o),433. 
Trommelin,  General,  295,  303. 


V 


Vatry.  420. 
\'atry,  Mme.  de,  421. 
\'aublanc,   Comte  \'iennot  de  (1756- 
^  1845),  292,  313. 
Vaui>lanc,  Comtesse  V'iennot  de,  29Z 
Vauguyron,  Duchesse  de,  321. 
Vaulserre,  Martiuis  de,  404. 
Velle.  Mile,  de,  58. 
\'erdier.  General,  48. 
\'erdiere,  General  de,  374. 
Verger,  172,  17?.  245. 
\'ernet,      [ean     hmilc  Horace  (1789- 

1863),  30. 
Vesins,  Lieutenant  Antoine  tie  Lcvezou 

de  Vesins  (1845-1870),  438,  463. 
Vesins,  Ludovic  de  Lcvezou,  Marquis 

de,  434,  438. 
Vesins,    Marquise    dc,    tide   Oudinot, 

391,434,438. 
Vicence,  Armand  Augiistin  Ixiuis  dc 

Caulincourt,    Due  do   (1773-1827), 

253- 
Victor,   Victor    I'errlii.    M.nrshal,   Due 
dc   Hcllune   (1766- 184 1 ).    I  J<».    107, 

16S,  \(-,n.  170.  174,  234,  310. 


474 


INDEX 


Villele,  Joseph  Comte  de  (1773-1854), 

387- 
Villeneuve,    Comte     Christophe     de 

(1771-1829),  324. 
Villers,  Eugene  de,  62,  63. 
Villers,  Mme.  de,  62. 

W 

Wagram,  Duchesse  de  {see  Neuchatel, 

Frincesse  de). 
Waleska,  Countess,  270. 
Wei^senwolft,  General,  234. 
William  I.,  King  of  the  Netherlands 

(1772-1843),  97-    ,    ,     ^,    ^    ,      , 
William  II.,  King  01  the  Netherlands 
{1792-184S),  456. 


Wintzingerode,    General     Ferdinand 

Baron  (1770-1818),  251. 
Wittgenstein,     Field  -  Marshal    Louis 

Adolphus  Peter,  Prince  Sayn  (1769- 

1843)  132,  136,  138,  160,  169,  175, 

227. 


X 


Xaintrailles,  272,  420. 


Zainau,  General,  14. 


THE   END 


D.   APPLETON  &   CO.'S  PUBLICATIONS. 


A 


N  AIDE-DE-CAMP  OF  NAPOLEON.  Mem- 
oirs of  General  Count  de  Segur,  of  the  French  Academy, 
1800-1812.  Revised  by  his  Grandson,  Count  Louis  de  Secjur. 
i2mo.     Cloth,  $2.00. 

"We  say  without  hesitation  that  'An  Aide-de-Camp  of  Napoleon  '  is  the 
book  of  memoirs  above  all  others  that  should  be  read  by  those  who  are  anx- 
ious to  see  Napoleon  through  the  eyes  of  one  of  the  many  keen  judges  of 
character  by  whom  he  was  surrounded." — London  Literary  World. 

"  The  Count's  personal  story  of  adventure  is  so  thrilling,  and  his  oppor- 
tunities of  watching  Napoleon  were  so  constant  and  so  ably  utilized,  that 
his  work  deserves  honorable  mention  among  works  which  show  us  history 
in  the  making,  and  the  realities  as  well  as  the  romance  of  war." — London 
Daily  Telegraph. 

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The  story  of  Austerlitz  is  one  involving  so  much  genius  that  it  must  be  read 
as  a  whole— all  the  good  things  with  which  the  book  abounds." — London 
Daily  Chronicle. 

"  The  historical  interest  is  undoubtedly  great.  De  Segur's  account  of 
Napoleon's  plans  for  the  invasion  of  England  is  very  interesting." — London 
Times. 

"  No  recent  work  of  which  the  present  fashion  for  Napoleonic  literature 
has  witnessed  either  in  the  shape  of  translations  frcm  the  l-rench  or  of 
original  monographs  on  his  famous  battles,  is  likely  to  interest  a  larger  class 
of  intelligent  readers  than  'An  Aide-de-Camp  of  Napoleon.'" — yew  York 
Mail  and  Express. 

"  '  An  Aide-de-Camp  of  Napoleon  '  is  the  title  of  one  of  the  most  interest- 
ing of  the  many  works  which  have  been  published  concerning  the  career  of 
the  great  warrior." — New  York  Press. 

"  The  memoirs  of  Count  de  Segur  are  distinguished  by  all  the  light  graces 
that  can  polish  a  recital  and  impart  delicacy  to  a  narrative  without  depriving 
it  of  its  strength.  It  is  a  pleasure  to  peruse  this  well-written  me  .norial  of 
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and  letters." — Philadelphia  Public  Ledger. 

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cial Bulletin. 

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historical  interest,  but  for  the  entire  absence  of  anything  approaching  liom- 
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tions that  the  Napoleonic  revival  has  given  us." — Cleveland  World. 

"  Next  to  the  memoirs  of  the  private  secretar>-,  the  Haron  de  Mencval, 
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terest."— Rochester  Herald. 


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EM O IRS  ILLUSTRATING  THE  HISTORY 

OF  NAPOLEON  /,  from  1802  to  i8is-  By  Baron  Claude- 
Francois  de  Meneval,  Private  Secretaiy  to  Napoleon.  Ed- 
ited by  his  Grandson,  Baron  Napoleon  Joseph  de  Meneval. 
With  Portraits  and  Autograph  Letters.  In  three  volumes. 
8vo.     Cloth,  $6.00. 

'  The  Baron  de  M6neval  knew  Napoleon  as  few  knew  him.  He  was  his  confiden- 
tial secretary  and  intimate  friend.  .  .  .  Students  and  historians  who  wish  to  form  a 
tiustvvortliy  estimate  of  Napoleon  can  not  afford  to  neglect  this  testimony  by  one  of  his 
most  intimate  associates." — London  Neits. 

"These  Memoirs,  by  the  private  secretary  of  Napoleon,  are  a  valuable  and  impor- 
tant coniribution  to  the  history  of  the  Napoleonic  period,  and  necessarily  they  throw 
new  and  interesting  hght  on  the  personality  and  real  sentiments  of  the  empeior.  If 
Napo'eon  anywhere  took  off  the  mask,  it  was  in  the  seclusion  of  his  private  cabinet. 
The  Memoirs  have  been  republished  almost  r.s  they  were  written,  by  Baron  de  Meneval's 
grandson,  with  the  addition  of  some  supplementary  documents." — London  Times. 

"  Meneval  has  brought  ihe  living  Napoleon  clearly  before  us  in  a  portrait,  flattering, 
no  doubt,  but  essentially  true  to  nature  ;  and  he  has  shown  us  what  the  emperor  really 
wai— at  the  head  of  his  armies,  in  his  Council  of  State,  as  the  ruler  of  France,  as  the 
lord  of  the  continent— above  all,  in  the  round  of  his  daily  life,  and  in  the  circle  of  family 

and  home." — London  Academy, 

"  Neither  the  editor  nor  translator  of  Meneval's  Memoirs  has  miscalculated  his  deep 
interest— an  interest  which  does  not  depend  on  literarj' stjle  but  on  the  substance  of 
what  is  related  Whoever  reads  this  volume  will  wait  with  impatience  for  the  remain- 
der."— N.  y.  Tribune. 

"  The  work  will  take  rank  with  the  most  important  of  memoirs  relating  to  the  period. 
Its  great  value  arises  largely  from  its  author's  transparent  veracity.  Meneval  was  one 
of  those  men  who  could  not  conscio  isly  tell  anything  but  the  truth.  He  was  constitu- 
tionally unfitted  for  lying.  .  .  .  The  buok  is  extremely  interesting,  and  it  is  as  impor- 
tant as  it  is  interesting." — JV.   }'.   Times. 

"  Few  memorists  have  given  us  a  more  minute  account  of  Napoleon.  .  .  .  No  lover 
of  Napoleoa,  no  ad.-nirer  of  his  wonderful  genius,  can  fail  to  read  these  interesting  and 
important  volumes  which  have  been  waited  for  for  yeais." — A'.  V.  ll^orld. 

"The  book  will  be  hailed  with  delight  by  the  collectors  of  Napoleonic  literature,  as 
it  covers  much  ground  wholly  unexplored  by  the  great  majority  of  the  biographers  of 

Napoleon." — Providence  Journal. 

"  Meneval  made  e.\cellent  use  of  the  rare  opportunity  he  enjoyed  of  studying  closely 
and  at  close  range  the  personality  of  the  supreme  genius  in  human  history.'  — Phila- 
delphia Press. 

"Of  all  the  memoirs  illustrating  the  histor>' of  the  first  Napoleon— and  their  num- 
ber is  almost  past  counting— there  is  probably  not  one  which  will  be  found  of  more 
value  to  the  judicious  historian,  or  of  more  interest  to  the  general  reader,  than  these. 
.  .  .  Meneval,  whose  Memoirs  were  written  nearly  fifty  ye.nrs  ago,  had  nothing  either 
to  gain  or  to  lose ;  his  work,  from  the  first  page  to  the  Inst,  impresses  the  reader  with  a 
deep  respect  for  the  author's  talent,  as  well  as  his  absolute  honesty  and  loyalty."— 
jV.  v.  1  ndep()tdent. 

"These  Memoirs  constitute  an  important  contribution  to  the  understanding  of  Na- 
poleon's character.  They  are  evidently  written  in  good  faith,  and,  as  the  writer  had 
remarkable  opportunities  of  observation,  they  must  be  accepted  as  authentic  testimony 
to  the  e.vistence  in  Napoleon  of  gentle,  humane,  sympathetic,  and  amiable  qualities, 
with  which  he  has  not  been  often  credited." — N.  Y.  Sun. 


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"M  Gaulot  deserves  thanks  for  presentinc  the  personal  histor>' of  Count  Fersen 
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"f)ne  of  the  most  interesting  volumes  of  recent  publication,  and  sure  to  find  its  place 
among  the  most  noteworthy  of  historical  novels." — Bos  on  Times. 

"J^IIE  ROMANCE  OF  AN  EMPRESS.     Catherine 
-*        //,  of  Russia.     By  K.  Waliszewski.     With  Portrait.     i2nio. 
Cloth,  $2.00. 

"  Of  Catharine's  marvelous  career  we  have  in  this  volume  a  sympathetic,  learned, 
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and  the  author  has  been  at  pains  to  present  nothing  but  verified  facts,  the  actual  career 
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"A  romance  in  which  fiction  finds  no  place;  a  charming  narrative  wherein  the 
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partial investigation." — Philadelphia  Press. 

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"  The  perus.il  of  such  a  book  can  not  fail  to  add  to  that  bre.idih  of  view  which  is 
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HE  REDS  OF  THE  MIDI.  An  Episode  of  the, 
French  Revolution.  By  Felix  Gras.  Translated  from  the. 
Provengal  by  Mrs.  Catharine  A.  Janvier.  With  an  Intro- 
duction by  Thomas  A.  Janvier.  With  Frontispiece.  i2mo. 
Cloth,  $1.50. 

"  It  is  doubtful  whether  in  the  English  language  we  have  had  a  more  powerful, 
impressive,  artistic  picture  of  the  French  Revolution,  from  the  revolutionist's  point  of 
view,  than  that  presented  in  Felix  Gras's  '  The  Reds  of  the  Midi.'  .  .  .  Adventures 
follow  one  another  r.ipidly  ;  splendid,  brilliant  pictures  are  frequent,  and  the  thread  of 
a  tender,  beautiful  love  story  winds  in  and  out  of  its  pages." — New  York  Mail  and 
Express. 

"  'The  Reds  of  the  Midi'  is  a  red  rose  from  Provence,  a  breath  of  pure  air  in 
the  stifling  atmosphere  of  present-day  romance — a  stirring  narrative  of  one  of  the  most 
picturesque  events  of  the  Revolution  It  is  told  with  all  the  strength  of  simplicity 
and  directness ;  it  is  warm  and  pulsating,  and  fairly  trembles  with  excitement." — 
Chicago  Record. 

,  "  To  the  names  of  Dickens,  Hugo,  and  Erckmann-Chatrian  must  be  added  that  of 
F^lx  Gras,  as  a  romancer  who  has  written  a  tale  of  the  French  Kevolution  not  only 
possessing  historical  interest,  but  charming  as  a  story.  A  delightful  piece  of  literature, 
of  a  rare  and  exquisite  flavor." — Buffalo  £xj>ress. 

"  No  more  forcible  presentation  of  the  wrongs  which  the  poorer  classes  sufl^ered  in 
France  at  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century  has  ever  been  put  between  the  covers  of 
a  book." — Boston  Budget'. 

"  Every  page  is  alive  with  incidents  or  scenes  of  the  time,  and  any  one  who  reads 
it  will  get  a  vivid  picture  that  can  never  be  forgotten  of  the  Reign  of  "Terror  in  Paris." 
— San  Francisco  Chronicle. 

"  The  author  has  a  rare  power  of  presenting  vivid  and  lifelike  pictures.  He  is  a 
true  artist.  .  .  His  warm,  glowing,  Provencal  imagination  sees  that  tremendous 
battalion  of  death  even  as  the  no  less  warm  and  glowing  imagination  of  Carlyle  saw  it." 
— London  Daily  Chronicle. 

"Of  The  Reds  of  theMidi  *  itself  it  is  safe  to  predict  that  the  story  will  become  one 
of  the  most  widely  popular  stories  of  the  next  few  months.  It  certainly  deserves  such 
appreciative  recognition,  for  it  throbs  with  vital  interest  in  every  line.  .  .  .  The  charac- 
ters are  living,  stirring,  palpitating  human  beings,  w  ho  will  glow  in  the  reader's  memory 
long  after  he  has  turned  over  the  last  pages  of  this  remarkably  fascinating  book." — 
London  Daily  .Mail. 

"A  delightful  romance.  .  .  .  The  story  is  not  only  historically  accurate;  it  is  one 
of  continuous  and  vivid  Interest." — Philadelphia  Press, 

"  Simply  enthralling.  .  .  .  The  narrative  abounds  in  vivid  descriptions  of  stirring 
incidents  and  wonderfully  attractive  depictions  of  character.  Indeed,  one  might  almost 
say  of  'The  Reds  of  the  Midi'  that  it  has  all  the  fire  and  forcefulness  of  the  elder 
Dumas,  with  something  more  than  Dumas's  faculty  for  dramatic  compression." — 
Boston  Beacon. 

"A  charmingly  told  story,  and  all  the  more  delightful  because  of  the  unstudied 
simplicity  of  the  spokesman,  Pascalet.  F^lix  Gras  is  a  true  artist,  and  he  has  pleaded 
the  cause  of  a  hated  people  with  the  tact  and  skill  that  only  an  artist  could  employ." — 
Chicago  Evening  Post. 

"  Much  excellent  revolutionary  fiction  in  many  languages  has  been  written  since 
the  announcement  of  the  expiration  of  1889,  or  rather  since  the  contemporary  publica- 
tion of  old  war  records  newly  discovered,  but  there  is  none  more  vivid  than  this  story 
of  men  of  the  south,  written  by  one  of  their  own  blood." — Boston  Herald. 


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HE  RISE  AND  GROWTH  OF  THE  ENG- 
LISH NATION.  With  Special  Reference  to  Epochs  and 
Crises.  A  History  of  and  for  the  People.  By  W.  H.  S. 
AUBRKY,  LL.  1).     In  Tlirce  Volumes.     i2mo.     Cloth,  1:4.50. 

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reached.  The  scope  of  the  work  is  marvelous.  Never  was  there  more  crowded  into 
three  small  volumes.  But  the  saving  of  space  is  not  by  the  sacrifice  of  substance  or 
of  style.  The  broadest  view  of  the  facts  and  forces  embraced  by  the  subject  is  exhibited 
with  a  clearness  of  arrangement  and  a  dcfinitencss  of  application  that  render  it  per- 
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"  A  useful  and  thorough  piece  of  work.  One  of  the  best  treatises  which  the 
general  reader  can  use." — London  Daily  Chronicle. 

"Conceived  in  a  popular  spirit,  yet  with  strict  regard  to  the  modem  standards. 
The  title  is  fully  home  out.  No  want  of  color  in  the  descriptions." — London  Daily 
News. 

"The  plan  laid  down  results  in  an  admirable  English  h^lory. " —London  Morning 
Post. 

"Dr.  Aubrey  has  supplied  a  want.  His  method  is  undoubtedly  the  right  one." — 
Pall  Mall  Gazette. 

"  It  is  a  distinct  step  forward  in  history  writing ;  as  far  ahead  of  (jrecn  as  he  was  of 
Macaulay,  though  on  a  difTcrcnt  line.  Green  gives  the  picture  of  lingland  at  different 
times — Aubrey  goes  deeper,  showing  the  causes  which  led  to  the  changes."— AVtf 
York  IVorld. 

''  A  work  that  will  commend  itself  to  the  student  of  history,  and  as  a  comprehen- 
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"Contains  nuich  that  the  ordinary  reader  can  with  difnculty  find  elsewhcie  unless 
he  has  access  to  a  library  of  special  works."—  Chicago  Dial. 

"  Up  to  date  in  its  narration  of  fact,  and  in  its  elucidation  of  those  jjreat  principles 
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the  admirably  complete  index,  wi  1  make  it  easy  work  for  any  student  to  get  definite 
views  of  any  <ra,  or  any  particular  feature  of  it.  .  .  .  The  woik  strikes  one  as  being 
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telligettcer. 

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unsurpassed  vahie  to  (ho  hlstoric:il  student  or  even  the  general  reader,  and  when  more 
widely  known  will  no  doubt  be  appreciated  as  one  of  the  remarkable  contributions  to 
English  history  published  in  the  ccniuri:"— Chicago  L'niversalist. 

"  In  every  page  Dr.  Aubrey  writes  with  the  far  reaching  relation  of  contemporary 
incidents  to  the  whole  subject.  The  amount  of  matter  these  three  volumes  contain  is 
marvelous.  The  style  in  which  they  are  written  is  more  than  satisfactory.  .  .  .  1  he 
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manifold  achievements.  Von  Siemens  writes  plainly,  unaffectedly,  and  in  a  uniformly 
attractive  fashion.  The  whole  work  is,  as  the  publishers  of  the  translation  say  with 
truth,  'rich  in  genial  narrative,  stirring  adventure,  and  picturesque  description,' and 
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yj    SELECTION   FROM    THE   LETTERS   OF 

-^    MADAME  DE  REMUSAT.     1804-1814.     Edited  by  her 

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Independent. 

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llyTEMOIRS  OF  NAPOLEON,  Ms  Court  and  Family. 

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RUDYARD  KIPLING'S  NEW  BOOK. 

'T^HE  SEVEN  SEAS.     A  new  volume  of  poems  by 
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imaginative  it  is,  how  impassioned,  how  superbly  rhythmic  and  sonorous!  .  .  .  The 
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of  Greater  Britain." — E.  C.  Sfedman,  in  the  Book  Buyer, 

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lately  dead."— IK.  D.  Ho-weUs. 

"  The  new  poems  of  Mr.  Rudyard  Kipling  have  all  the  spirit  and  swing  of  their 
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his,  and  which  have  made,  and  seem  likely  to  keep,  for  him  his  position  and  wide 
popularity." — London  Times. 

"  He  has  the  very  heart  of  movement,  for  the  lack  of  which  no  metrical  science 
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"  '  The  Seven  Seas '  is  the  mo?.t  remarkable  book  of  verse  that  Mr.  Kipling  has 
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and  fuller,  the  intellectual  and  spiritual  insight  keener,  the  command  of  the  literary 
vehicle  more  complete  and  sure,  than  in  any  previous  verse  work  by  the  author.  The 
volume  pulses  with  power — power  often  rough  and  reckless  in  expression,  but  invariably 
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then  he  must  be  too  much  the  slave  of  the  conventional  and  the  ordinary  to  understand 
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an  J  indefeasible  jus'ification  is — truth." — London  Daily  Telegraph. 

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"Mr.  Kipling's  'The  Seven  Seas'  is  a  distinct  advance  upon  his  characteristic 
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HE  BEGINNERS  OF  A  NATION.  A  History 
of  the  Source  and  Rise  of  the  Earliest  English  Seltlemcnts  in 
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facts;  but  he  is  also  an  exceedingly  keen  critic.  He  writes  history  without  the  cflT.irt 
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some  of  the  dullest  passages  in  colonial  annals  actu.iUy  amusing  by  his  wiity  treatment 
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Boston  Saturday  Evening  Gazette. 

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students." — Philadelphia  Public  Ledger. 

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'HE    SEATS   OF    THE    MIGHTY.      Being  the 

Memoirs  of  Captain  Robert  Moray,  sometime  an  Officer  in 

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"Mr.  Gilbert  Parker  is  to  be  congratulated  on  the  excellence  of  his  latest  story. 
'The  Seats  of  the  Mighty,"  and  his  readers  are  to  be  congratulated  on  the  direction 
which  his  talents  have  taken  therein.  .  .  .  It  is  so  good  that  we  do  not  stop  to  think  of 
its  literature,  huiI  the  personality  of  Doltaire  is  a  masterpiece  of  creative  art."— AVa/ 
York  Mail  <ind  Express. 


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HE    TRAIL    OF    THE    SWORD.       A    Novel. 

i2mo.     Paper,  50  cents  ;  cloth,  $1.00. 

"  Mr.  Parker  here  adds  to  a  reputation  already  wide,  and  anew  demonstrates  his 
power  of  pictorial  portrayal  and  of  strong  dramatic  situation  and  climax  " — Philadel- 
phia Bulletin. 

"The  tale  holds  the  reader's  interest  from  first  to  last,  for  it  is  full  of  fire  and  spirit, 
abounding  in  incident,  and  marked  by  good  character  drawing." — Pittsburg  Times. 


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HE    TRESPASSER.       iimo.      Paper,  50   cents; 

cloth,  $1.00. 

"  Interest,  pith,  force,  and  charm — Mr.  Parker's  new  storj-  rossesses  all  these 
qualities.  .  .  .  Almost  bare  of  synthetical  decoration,  his  paragraphs  are  stirring  be- 
cause they  are  real.  We  read  at  limes— as  we  have  read  the  great  masters  of  romance 
—breathlessly." — The  Critic. 

"  Gilbert  Parker  wTites  a  strong  novel,  but  thus  far  this  is  his  masterpiece.  .  .  . 
It  is  one  of  the  great  novels  of  the  year." — Boston  Advertiser. 


T 


HE  TRANSLATION  OF  A  SAVAGE.     i6mo. 

Flexible  cloth,  75  cents. 

"A  book  which  no  one  will  be  satisfied  to  put  down  until  the  end  has  been  matter 
of  certainty  and  assurance." — The  Nation. 

"  A  story  of  remarkable  interest,  originality,  and  ingenuity  of  construction." — 
Boston  Home  Jottrnal. 

"  The  perusal  of  this  romance  will  repay  those  who  care  for  new  and  original  types 
of  character,  and  who  are  susceptible  to  the  fascination  of  a  fresh  and  vigorous  style." 
— London  Daily  News. 


New  York:   D.  APPLETON  &  CO.,  72  Fifth  Avenue. 


D.   APPLETON  &   CO.'S  PUBLICATIONS. 


T 


HE  STATEMENT  OF  STELLA  MABERLY. 

By  F.  Anstey,  author  of  "Vice  Versa."  "  The  Giarl'i  Kobe," 
etc.     161110.     Cloth,  .special  binding,  $1.25. 

"Most  admirably  done.  .  .  .  We  read  fascinated,  and  fully  bcllcvine  every  word 
we  read.  .  .  .  The  bonk  has  deeply  interested  us,  and  even  thrilled  us  L>iore  than 
once." — London  Daily  ChroiiicU. 

"  A  wildly  fantastic  .story,  thrilling  and  impressive.  .  .  .  Has  an  air  of  vivid  reilily, 
.  .  .  of  bold  conception  and  vigurou.s  treatment.  .  .  .  A  very  noteworthy  novelette." — 
London  Times. 


M: 


ARCH  HARES.  By  Harold  Frederic,  author 
of "  The  Damnation  of  Theron  Ware,"  "In  tlie  Valley,"  etc. 
i6mo.     Cloth,  special  binding,  $1.25. 

"  One  of  the  most  cheerful  novels  we  have  chanced  upin  for  many  a  d.iy.  I(  has 
much  of  the  rapidity  and  vigor  of  a  smartly  written  fa'ce,  with  a  pervading  frcshnc^*  a 
smartly  written  f.irce  larely  possesses.  ...  A  book  decidedly  worth  readirg." — Loh- 
don  Saturday  liczucw. 

" -A  striking  and  original  story,  .  .  .  effective,  pleasing,  and  ver>' capable."— /.i'«r- 
don  Literary  World. 

r^REEN  GATES.  An  Analysis  of  Foolishness.  By 
^-^  Mrs.  K.  M.  C.  Meredith  (Johanna  Staats),  author  of  "  Drum- 
sticks," etc.     i6nio.     Cloth,  S1.25. 

"Crisp  and  delightful.  .  ■  .  Kascinating,  not  so  much  for  what  it  siiggesU  a»  for 
its  manner,  and  the  cleverly  outlined  people  who  walk  through  its  pages."— t'A/iM^o 
Times-  Herald. 

"  An  origi  .al  strain,  bright  and  vivacious,  and  strong  enough  in  i  s  fooliilmess  and 
its  unexpected  tragedy  to  prove  its  sterling  worth."-  lioslon  Ihrald. 

N  IMAGINATIVE  MAN.  By  Robert  S.  Hich- 
ENS,  author  of  "  The  Folly  of  Eustace,"  "  The  Green  Carna- 
tion," etc.     i2mo.     Cloth,  $1.25. 

"  A  study  in  character.  .  .  .  Just  as  entertaining  as  thnugh  it  were  the  conven- 
tional story  of  love  and  marriage.  The  clever  h.ind  of  the  author  of '^1  he  Green  tar- 
nation '  is  easily  detected  in  the  caustic  wit  and  pointed  epigram." — JeaHHtlte  L. 
Gilder,  in  the  New  )  'ork  World. 

ORRUPTION.     By  Percy  White,  author  of  "  Mr. 

Bailey-Martin,"  etc.     izmo.     Cloth,  Si. 25. 

"  Adrama  of  biting  intensity.  A  tragedy  of  inflexible  purpose  and  relentless  result." 
—Pall  Mall  Gazette. 

HARD  WOMAN.  A  Story  in  Scaus.  By  Violet 
Hunt.     i2mo.     Cloth,  $1.25. 

"  A  good  story,  bti;ht,  keen,  and  dram-itir  ..It  is  <^ti»  of  the  ordinary,  and  will 
give  you  a  new  sensation." — New  I'c 


A 


C 


A 


New  York:    D.  APPLE  l^N    w    vi.,   ,.    .  .iih  Avenue. 


D.   APPLETON  &   CO.'S  PUBLICATIONS. 

THE   STORY  OF  THE   WEST   SERIES. 

Edited  by  Ripley  Hitchcock. 

"  There  is  avast  extent  of  territory  lying  between  the  Missouri  River  and  the  Pacific 
coast  which  has  barely  been  skimmed  over  so  far.  That  the  conditions  of  hfe  therein 
are  undergoing  changes  little  short  of  marvelous  will  be  understood  when  one  recalls 
the  fact  that  the  first  white  male  child  born  in  Kansas  is  still  living  there ;  and  Kansas 
is  by  no  mean;  one  of  the  newer  States.  Revolutionary  indeed  has  been  the  upturning 
of  the  old  conduiim  of  affairs,  and  little  remains  thereof,  and  less  will  remain  as  each 
year  goes  by,  until  presently  there  will  be  only  tradition  of  the  Sioux  and  Comanches, 
the  cowboy  life,  the  wild  horse,  and  the  antelope.  Histories,  many  of  them,  have  been 
written  about  the  Western  country  alluded  to,  but  most  if  not  practically  all  by  outsiders 
who  knew  not  personally  that  life  of  kaleidoscopic  allurement.  But  ere  it  shall  have 
vanished  forever  we  are  likely  to  have  truthful,  complete,  and  charming  portrayals  o' 
it  produced  by  men  who  actually  knew  the  life  and  have  the  power  to  describe  it." — 
Henry  Edward  Rood,  in  the  Mail  and  Express. 

NOW  READY. 

qTHE  STOR  Y  OF   THE  INDIAN.     By  George 

-*        Bird  Grinnell,  author  of  "  Pawnee  Hero  Stories,"    "  Black- 
foot  Lodge  Tales,"  etc.     i2mo.     Cloth,  $1.50. 

"  In  eveiy  way  worthy  of  an  author  who,  as  an  authority  upon  the  Western  Indians, 
is  second  to  none.  _  A  book  full  cf  color,  abounding  in  observation,  and  remarkable  in 
sustained  interest,  it  is  at  the  same  time  ch.nracterized  by  a  grace  of  style  which  is  rarely 
to  be  looked  for  in  such  a  work,  and  which  adds  not  a  little  to  the  charm  of  it." — 
London  Daily  Chronicle. 

"Only  an  author  qualified  by  personal  experience  could  offer  us  a  profitable  study 
of  a  race  so  alien  from  our  own  as  is  the  Indian  in  thought,  feeling,  and  culture.  Only 
long  association  with  Indians  can  enable  a  white  man  measurably  to  comprehend  their 
thoughts  and  enter  into  their  feelings.  Such  association  has  been  Mr.  Grinnell's." — 
Neu)  York  Sun. 


T 


'HE    STORY    OF    THE    MINE.      By  Charles 
Howard  Shinn.     Illustrated.     i2mo.     Cloth,  $1.50. 

"The  author  has  written  a  book,  not  alone  full  of  information,  but  replete  with  the 
true  romance  of  the  American  mine." — Neiv  York  Times. 

"  Few  chapters  of  recent  history  are  more  fascinating  than  that  which  Mr.  Shinn 
has  told  in  '  The  Story  of  the  Mine.'  " — The  Outlook. 

"Both  a  history  and  a  romance.  .  .  .  Highly  interesting,  new,  and  thrilling."— 
Philadelphia  Inquirer. 

IN  PREPARATION. 

The  Story  of  the  Trapper.     By  Gilbert  Parker. 

The  Story  of  the  Cowboy,     By  E.  Hough. 

The  Story  of  the  Soldier.     By  Capt.  J.  McB.  Stembel,  U.  S.  A. 

The  Story  of  the  Explorer. 

The  Story  of  the  Railroad. 


New  York :    D.  APPLETON  &  CO.,  72  Fifth  Avenue. 


D.  APPLETON  &   CO.'S  PUBLICATIONS. 


By  a.  CONAN  DOYLE. 

Uniform  edition,     izmo.     Cloth,  $i.^o  per  volume. 
JDODNEY  STONE.     Illustrated. 

"  A  remarkable  book,  worlhy  of  the  pen  that  Rave  us  '  The  White  Company, 
'  Micah  Clarke,'  and  other  notable  romances." — Loudon  Daily  Nttvs. 

"A  notable  and  ver>'  brilliant  work  of  genius." — London  Speaktr. 

'"  Rodney  Stone'  is,  in  our  judgment,  distinctly  the  best  of  Dr.  Conan  Doyle's 
novels.  .  .  .  There  are  few  descriptions  in  fiction  that  can  vie  with  that  race  upon  the 
Brighton  T03.A."— London  Times. 

"  Dr.  Doyle's  '  Rodney  Stone  "  is  decidedly  the  best  piece  of  u  ork  that  he  has 
done." — London  Mail. 


T 


HE  EXPLOITS  OF  BRIGADIER    GER.iRD. 

A  /Romance  of  the  Life  of  a  Typical  Napoleonic  Soldier.     Illus- 
trated. 

"The  brigadier  is  brave,  resolute,  amorous,  loyal,  chivalrous;  never  was  a  foe  more 
ardent  in  battle,  more  clement  in  victory,  or  more  ready  at  need.  .  .  .  Gallantry,  humor, 
martial  gayety,  moving  incident,  m.ike  up  a  really  delightlul  hooV." — London  Tiir.-s. 

"  .May  be  set  down  without  reservation  as  the  most  thoroughly  enjoyable  book  that 
Dr.  Doyle  has  ever  published." — Boston  Be.icon. 

HE  STARK  MUNRO  LETTERS.  Being  a 
Series  of  Twelve  Letters  written  by  .Stark  .Mi  nro,  M.  B.. 
to  his  friend  and  former  fellow-student,  Herbert  Swanborough, 
of  Lowell,  Massachusetts,  during  the  years  1881-18S4.  Illus- 
trated. 

"  Cullingworth,  ...  a  much  more  interesting  creation  than  Sherlock  Holmes,  and 
I  pray  Dr.  Doyle  to  give  us  more  of  him." — Richard  U  Gallienne,  in  the  London  Star. 

"  One  of  the  freshest  figures  to  be  met  with  in  any  recent  fiction." — London  Daily 
News. 

"  '  The  Stark  Munro  Letters  '  is  a  bit  of  real  literature.  ...  Its  reading  will  be  an 
epoch-making  event  in  many  a  life." — Philadelphia  Evening  Telegraph. 


T 


R 


OUND    THE    RED    LAMP.      Being  Facts  and 
Fancies  of  Medical  Life. 

"  Too  much  can  not  be  snid  in  praise  of  these  strong  protluctions,  that,  to  read, 
keep  one's  heart  leaping  to  the  throat,  and  the  mind  in  a  tumult  of  aniicipalion  to  the 
end.  .  .  .  No  series  of  short  stories  in  modem  literature  can  approach  them." — Hart- 
foi  d  Times. 

"  If  Dr.  A.  Conan  Doyle  had  not  .ilready  placed  himself  in  the  front  rank  of  living 
English  writers  by  'The  Refugees,'  and  other  of  his  larger  stories,  he  would  surely  do 
so  by  these  fifteen  short  tales."— AVxf  Vork  Mail  and  Express. 


New  York :    D.  APPLETON   &   CO.,  72  Fifth  Avenue. 


L 


D.  APPLETON  &  CO.'S  PUBLICATIONS. 

OUISA     MUHLBACH'S    HISTORICAL 

NOVELS.     New  edition,  1 8  vols.     Illustrated.     i2mo.    Cloth, 
per  volume,  $i.oo.     Set,  in  box,  $18.00. 


In  offering  to  the  public  our  new  and  illustrated  i2mo  edition  of 
Louisa  Miihlbach's  celebrated  historical  romances  we  wish  to  call 
'attention  to  the  continued  and  increasing  popularity  of  these  books  for 
over  thirty  years.  These  romances  are  as  well  known  in  England 
and  America  as  in  the  author's  native  country,  Germany,  and  it  has 
been  the  unanimous  verdict  that  no  other  romances  reproduce  so 
vividly  the  spirit  and  social  life  of  the  times  which  are  described.  In 
the  vividness  of  style,  abundance  of  dramatic  incidents,  and  the  dis- 
tinctness of  the  characters  portrayed,  these  books  offer  exceptional 
entertainment,  while  at  the  same  time  they  familiarize  the  reader  with 
the  events  and  personages  of  great  historical  epochs. 

The  titles  are  as  follows  : 

Napoleon  and  the  Queen  of  Prussia. 

The  Empress  Josephine. 

Napoleon  and  Blucher, 

Queen  Hortense. 

Marie  Antoinette  and  her  Son. 

Prince  Eugene  and  his  Times. 

The  Daughter  of  an  Empress. 

Joseph  II  and  his  Court. 

Frederick  the  Great  and  his  Court. 

Frederick  the  Great  and  his  Family. 

Berlin  and  Sans-Souci. 

Goethe  and  Schiller. 

The    Merchant    of    Berlin,    and    Maria   Theresa   an<S 

her  Fireman. 
Louisa  of  Prussia  and  her  Times. 
Old  Fritz  and  the  New  Era. 
Andreas  Hofer. 

Mohammed  Ali  and  his  House. 
Henry  VIII  and  Catherine  Parr. 


New  York :  D.  APPLETON  &  CO.,  72  Fifth  Avenue. 


\'- 


\ 


^"R  '  «  '984,ATE  DU.                          1 

■                  CAVUORD 

PRINTED  IN  U.S.A. 

DC  198. 08  08  1897 

Memoirs  of  Marshal  Oudinot 


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